KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Sobita Gautam has sharply criticized the government for failing to take serious action against the growing misuse of visit visas for human trafficking.
Speaking during Wednesday’s session of the House of Representatives, Gautam expressed her deep dissatisfaction with what she called the government’s indifferent stance toward the issue.
“We have been consistently demanding the formation of a high-level investigation commission or a parliamentary probe committee to investigate the misuse of visit visas for trafficking,” she said. “But the government refuses to listen.”
Gautam alleged that instead of addressing the matter seriously, the government has formed superficial committees comprised of junior bureaucrats, accusing it of playing games rather than seeking accountability.
She also objected to the lack of response to the grave concerns raised in Parliament. “The fact that our protests, including boycotts of House proceedings, have gone unheeded is deeply troubling,” she stated.
The lawmaker went on to say that after opposition parties walked out of a recent parliamentary session, a challenge had emerged from the Prime Minister’s Secretariat. “Some honorable members even stooped to making derogatory remarks like airheads and kids,” she said, condemning the language used.
Addressing recent controversy over her own statements in Parliament, Gautam clarified, “I never said that people who accompanied the Prime Minister to Spain have not returned. What I said was that reports are emerging that even in programs attended by the Prime Minister, some individuals have traveled abroad under that pretext and not returned.”
She reaffirmed her and her party’s commitment to responsible politics and again urged the government to treat the matter seriously and initiate an impartial investigation into the abuse of visit visas for trafficking purposes.
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