May 29, 2012: The Nepal government has agreed in principle to a list of demands by
Christians, including the allocation of land for use as burial sites and the setting
up of a special commission to ensure their rights are protected.
The concessions,
which came after a meeting on Saturday between officials from the Ministry of Peace
and Reconstruction and leaders of the Nepal Christian Federation, were announced on
Monday at a federation press conference in Kathmandu.
“The minister, Top Bahadur
Rayamajhi, has agreed to all our demands and signed a letter of agreement,” said Pastor
Chari Gahatraj, secretary of the Nepal Christian Federation.
“This letter will
automatically be forwarded to the cabinet, the present one or future one in the event
of a change, and the terms will be implemented upon formal approval,” he said. A Christian
commission is also to be formed to look into the proper registration of places of
worship and ensure various rights of Christians in Nepal are upheld, Gahatraj said.
Other
concessions included making Easter Sunday a holiday, measures governing the management
and protection of places of worship and the representation of Christians on all government
bodies.
The federation was also assured that the new constitution, when an
agreement is finally reached, will include secularist provisions on the freedom of
worship. “We will maintain our struggle with tolerance and integrity, but for now
we feel we have gained some due recognition for the first time in Nepal”, Gahatraj
added.