By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 6: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane has said that the government was striving to resolve the complexities associated with citizenship acquisition by some Nepalese.
Inaugurating an interaction programme 'Discussion on Citizenship and Issues Related to Citizenship' organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday in the Capital, Deputy Prime Minister Lamichhane said that the government was making efforts to ensure the constitutional right of citizens to obtain citizenship.
"Citizens should not be deprived of the constitutional right to obtain citizenship. Efforts are being made to resolve the complexities associated with acquiring citizenship by formulating procedures," DPM Lamichhane said.
"It is the government's responsibility and duty to address these complexities by enacting citizenship-related laws," he said.
DPM Lamichhane explained that the Ministry had initiated discussions with stakeholders on various issues related to citizenship acquisition, acknowledging the duty and responsibility towards the citizens.
He expressed confidence that incorporating the conclusions from these discussions into the procedures would help solve the problems related to citizenship.
"The interaction has been organised to address the complexities in citizenship laws and to ensure that every citizen's right to citizenship, which the state should provide, faces no obstacles," said Deputy Prime Minister Lamichhane.
"Procedures must be formulated based on the complexities and technical aspects of acquiring citizenship, decisions and rulings related to citizenship, and the experiences of citizens who have not been able to obtain citizenship," said DPM Lamichhane.
He emphasised that, except as prohibited by law, the Ministry of Home Affairs had been facilitating the protection and simplification of the right of citizens to obtain citizenship as provisioned in the constitution, existing laws, and procedures.
He said that he had been seriously considering the actual problems citizens faced under the current legal regime of acquiring citizenship, including weaknesses, interpretations, re-interpretations, and practices, since assuming the office.
Recalling his previous role as a journalist, he said, "Even before my tenure as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, I raised my voice about the problems citizens face in acquiring citizenship."
Minister Lamichhane stated that practical solutions to citizenship-related issues were being sought by incorporating discussions with stakeholders, legal grounds, and various experiences. He said that the suggestions
obtained from discussions with experts and stakeholders would provide a crucial foundation for the government and would guide the necessary improvements in the implementation system.
"The laws and procedures related to citizenship will be amended to include the suggestions obtained from today's discussions," he said.
The Home Ministry announced that the programme would include discussions on various aspects of citizenship acquisition in four sessions, including obtaining citizenship by birth, non-residential Nepali citizenship, issuing citizenship in the name of the mother and citizenship with identity, obtaining citizenship after changing the gender, complexities in renouncing and re-acquiring citizenship, solutions, and legal reforms.
