Back-to-back high level meetings at Nepal PM's residence

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. (IANS Photo)

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. (IANS Photo)

KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 23 (IANS): The Nepal Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar saw two back-to-back high level meetings on Tuesday.

A meeting of the Nepal Cabinet was preceded by a sudden discussion of the members of the National Security Council of Nepal on Tuesday morning. At the meeting, the security situation of the country, matters related to security regarding the April-May midterm polls, among other issues were discussed, the Himalayan Times reported.

Other than the Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, who also holds the defence portfolio, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal Shanker Das Bairagi and Chief of Army Staff General Purna Chandra Thapa were in attendance at the meeting. However, Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, who is also a member of the NSC, was not present at today's meeting.

The last meeting of the NSC was held around October 2020.

Likewise, the Cabinet meeting also discussed the ongoing preparations for the elections that were announced after the dissolution of House of Representatives in December 2020.

The outlawed Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal which had recently issues a statement that they were ready for talks with the government, also made way into today's discussions.

Oli is said to have discussed the pros and cons of providing a safe landing to the outfit at the meetings.

At present, the Nepali people await the Supreme Court's verdict on the House Dissolution Case, which will define the course of Nepali politics in the days to come.

Oli's secretariat refutes rumours of Attorney General's resignation

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's secretariat has refuted the rumours of Attorney General Agni Prasad Kharel's resignation as reported by some media early on Tuesday.

Oli's Press Advisor Surya Thapa shared on Twitter that the news is false and urged people to not get influenced by such rumours as everyone awaits the impending decision of the Supreme Court on House Dissolution case, the Himalayan Times reported.

Early on Tuesday, some media reports had claimed that the Attorney General had tendered his resignation after PM Oli expressed his discontent over AG Kharel's handling of the case on behalf of the defence.

"It is unfortunate that some people have resorted to spreading of false information regarding resignation of the Attorney General in a bid to influence the situation surrounding the court's impending verdict," Thapa stated.

The Supreme Court is due to spell a verdict on the writ petitions filed against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's move to dissolve the House of representatives on December 20.