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KATHMANDU, June 25: The government has assigned the responsibility of investigating the misuse of visit visas to a committee headed by a former bureaucrat. At a time when opposition parties themselves are divided over the visit visa scandal, the government has formed an investigation committee led by the former administrator and comprising joint secretaries from six ministries as members.
Opposition parties Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have expressed dissatisfaction over the probe committee, while the main opposition party CPN (Maoist Center) has accepted it with conditions. The opposition parties in the parliament have divided into two camps after the government assigned a nine-point mandate to the High-Level Study and Investigation Committee 2082 BS to address the long-standing issues related to immigration and visit visas.
The committee, chaired by former Chief Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi, has been given a nine-point mandate to submit its report within three months. The committee members include Joint Secretary Tirtharaj Chiluwal from the Ministry of Finance, Joint Secretary Aruna Joshi from the Ministry of Law, Joint Secretary Ram Krishna Lamichhane from the Ministry of Tourism, Joint Secretary Maniratna Sharma from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Joint Secretary Pradeep Koirala from the Ministry of Labor, and Member Secretary Anand Kafle from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The committee has been mandated to investigate the alleged scandal without affecting the ongoing investigation by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), and to submit a report with recommendations.
Govt forms high-level committee to probe visit visa scandal
After Minister for Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak informed Parliament about the formation of the committee, the opposition became divided into two factions. The Maoist Center warned that if the committee formed by the government does not conduct a fair and factual investigation into the visit visa case, they would reject its report. Speaking in the House of Representatives (HoR) on Tuesday, the party’s Deputy Secretary General and lawmaker, Barshaman Pun, warned on behalf of the party.
He stated that their vigilance and warnings would continue until a truthful investigation is conducted into the visit visa case and the guilty are brought to justice. He also welcomed the formation of a high-level investigation and study committee in accordance with the two-point agreement reached between the ruling party and the Maoist Center on June 13. While the Maoist Center has been providing conditional support to the probe committee, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have opposed the committee.
After the government announced the committee’s chairpersonship, RSP Vice-Chairperson Dr. Swarnim Wagle sharply criticized Bairagi, even making serious allegations. On Tuesday, after boycotting the HoR session, Wagle spoke to a group of journalists and targeted former Chief Secretary Bairagi. Initially, he said Home Minister Lekhak had brought up Bairagi’s name from his own “pocket.” Addressing Minister Lekhak, Wagle said, “The one accused is the same person who proposed (Bairagi) in the Cabinet. He himself appointed the investigation committee’s chairperson from his pocket. The joint secretaries serving under him are members of the committee.”
After that, he focused his remarks on Bairagi. “The chair is a former bureaucrat, known as a favorite of every government for the last ten years. He served as Foreign Secretary for seven years and later as Chief Secretary,” Wagle said.
Wagle did not stop there; he also accused Bairagi of mysteriously leaving the position of Chief Secretary. He said, “He left that post under mysterious circumstances and went to become the National Security Advisor.”
Similarly, the RPP also criticized the government’s intent regarding the misuse of visit visas. RPP Chief Whip Gyanendra Shahi expressed anger over the committee’s formation, stating that Bairagi is a person favored by the leadership. He described the current committee as “handing keys to a burglar,” implying it is ineffective.
“What has happened now? The keys have been handed to a burglar— the very people who should be investigated have formed an investigation committee by appointing their own employees. This cannot be understood as upholding the rule of law. All that glitters is not gold. Calling this an ‘high-level investigation committee’—can this really be called an investigation committee? This is a group appointed by the leadership to cover up the crime and provide immunity to the 14 ministers involved in the visit visa case. RPP will oppose this propaganda both on the streets and in Parliament,” he said.
The government has mandated the committee to carry out its work without affecting the ongoing investigation by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). The committee has been tasked to study, analyze, and factually investigate immigration management, visit visas, and all related purposes to facilitate the travel of individuals going abroad and entering Nepal. It is also to propose immediate and long-term policy, legal, and structural reforms to address identified problems. Furthermore, the committee is instructed to review and suggest necessary amendments or revisions, including drafts, to existing laws, regulations, procedures, and standards related to immigration management, visit visas, and other travel facilitation measures.
Similarly, the committee has been mandated to submit proposals for improving the existing structural arrangements and staff management in immigration management. It is also tasked with recommending improvements and arrangements needed to ensure coordination and cooperation among relevant agencies to prevent problems in the arrival and departure of citizens. The committee should study best international practices related to immigration management and travel facilitation and propose suggestions suitable for Nepal’s context.
Likewise, the committee has been tasked with providing necessary suggestions to make the immigration system more technology-friendly, simple, convenient, and efficient to improve service delivery. It should also propose recommendations to organize the roles of relevant stakeholders and institutions involved in departure and arrival processes. The committee is to suggest measures for securely and accurately maintaining arrival and departure records. Furthermore, the committee is authorized to determine its own procedures and, as needed, invite officials from government and non-government organizations to seek their input.
