KATHMANDU:- A comprehensive webinar on ‘NRN Citizenship: Current Status’ has been jointly organized by the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) International Coordinating Council and the Citizenship Continuity Task Force.
Speakers at the Sunday program expressed concern that although the constitution of Nepal provides for citizenship for non-resident Nepalis, its implementation in practice is complex and slow.
Chairing the program, NRNA ICC Vice President and Task Force Coordinator Rojina Rai Pradhan said that NRNA citizenship is not just a legal document but also a link between the emotional and cultural ties of Nepalis scattered around the world with their homeland. She reminded that the association has been continuously taking initiatives for two decades to realize the main mantra of ‘Once a Nepali, always a Nepali’.
Pradhan said, “Although the provision of citizenship is a historic achievement, its implementation is almost nil due to the ambiguity of the act and procedures and administrative complexity. Even those who have obtained citizenship are not being able to exercise their rights in practice.”
The association’s founding president, Dr. Upendra Mahato, said that the issue of citizenship has been a major agenda since the beginning of the NRN campaign. He mentioned that although the current constitution provides for citizenship with economic, social and cultural rights, there has been a problem due to the lack of amendments to various other acts.
Mahato emphasized that non-resident Nepalis should be addressed according to their needs by classifying them into four categories. According to him, there is a need to address differently legal avenues for those who have renounced Nepali citizenship, those who are in countries with dual citizenship provisions, those who are in countries without dual citizenship, and those of Nepali origin older than three generations.
The keynote speaker of the program and NRNA ICC President Dr. Hemraj Sharma presented a detailed working paper on the history of the citizenship campaign from the present. He informed that this journey, which began with the establishment of the association in 2003, has reached the stage of citizenship distribution after the amendment of the Citizenship Act of 2023 through the Act of 2007, the Regulations of 2009 and the Constitution of 2015. However, he said that even after obtaining citizenship, other state bodies such as Land Revenue, Banks, Immigration and Sports Council have not recognized it.
Dr. Sharma, discussing the concept of the ‘Unified Act’ put forward by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, ‘Since more than a dozen acts need to be amended, efforts are being made to resolve all the problems by bringing a unified act. This process takes place in 13 stages, of which we are currently in the first stage.’ He also clarified that constitutional amendment is the last option for the continuity of Vanshal’s citizenship.
Nepal Focal Person Saroj Dahal highlighted the practical difficulties faced by NRNs in acquiring citizenship. According to her, NRNs are facing hardships such as having to surrender their old citizenship, being asked for NID (National Identity Card) to open a bank account and investing in the stock market.
However, he informed that only a few days ago, the government had made arrangements that the national identity card would not be mandatory for bank accounts.
The general secretary of the association, Chiranjivi Khadka, said that pressure from the leadership level alone would not be enough and that 8 million Nepalis around the world should press their respective MPs and political party leaders on the issue of citizenship implementation. He said that there is room for optimism, saying that the current government and especially the new political forces have taken this issue positively.
Speakers at the event also pointed out the need for special laws regarding the citizenship and property rights of the children of British Gurkha soldiers.