MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

The Indian Embassy has been allowed to stay here as a diplomatic representative of the Indian government, not to conduct business or issue threats. But lately, the embassy seems to have forgotten that Nepal is a free and sovereign state. It has openly intervened in Nepali politics, stopped the Kantipur Group's newsprint at Kolkata, pressurised companies with Indian investments to not give advertisements (which still continues) to the media, and even issued death threats to a CA member. Now it is challenging the Nepali media. Our government chooses to ignore these ground-level interventions. We may have just a caretaker government but this should not affect the day-to-day functioning of the state. It is important to remind them that in such serious situations the Foreign Ministry holds the power to call on the ambassador of the concerned embassy and ask him to maintain limits in diplomacy and even send him back.

The organisations that are a part of the Federation of Nepali Journalists should not hesitate to act against such undiplomatic activities of a foreign diplomatic mission. The time has come for some big publications, which have not given this matter much importance, to forget commercial competition and stand up for national issues. Civil society, professional organisations and all political parties need to unite. Without your support it will be difficult to drive away these dark clouds threatening press freedom, which is so closely linked to our national integrity.

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