KATHMANDU: Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun has said that diverse religious and cultural festivals have given crucial contributions to maintain social unity, goodwill, religious tolerance and ultimately strengthening our national unity.

Giving best wishes to all Christian Nepalis at home and abroad on the occasion of Christmas, he said such festivals would strengthen the unity and cooperation of Nepalis while keeping our mutual goodwill, social unity, brotherhood and tolerance intact.

Recalling that Nepal, a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, multi-cultural and geographically diverse country, is a secular state, the Vice President expressed his confidence that such festival would energize us in building a developed and prosperous nation.