Citizenship Bill is only to give citizenship to children of Nepali parents: Khand

By Our Correspondent 

Lumbini, Oct. 15: Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khand Friday clarified that the Citizenship Bill was introduced to issue the citizenship certificates only to the children born to Nepali parents.

Minister Khand said so while speaking in Bhairahawa today. 

He said that there was no intention to give citizenship to the foreigners and naturalised citizens as was rumoured. 

Article 11 of the Constitution of Nepal mentions that the children of the parents who got citizenship at the time of the promulgation of the Constitution will get the 

citizenship of descendant. However, there is no such arrangement in the bill, which was introduced with the consent of all the political parties, he claimed. 

“How can it be an attack on nationalism when the provisions of the constitution are implemented? Therefore, let's not play games with the Nepalis without citizenship,” he said. 

Informing that more than 500,000 children of the parents who got citizenship when the constitution was promulgated are now without citizenship, Minister Khand said that the state should not be insensitive on those citizens who are not getting citizenship till now.

 "According to the constitutional rights, the current coalition government is not in favour of making citizens born in Nepal and brought up in Nepal non-citizens," he said. 

"Citizens living in Nepal and born to Nepali parents must get citizenship,” Minister Khand said. 

He also urged everyone to be aware of the efforts of making the citizens born in Nepal non-citizens and the propaganda spread against the bill.