KATHMANDU: Preparations are underway to amend existing laws to facilitate the provision of diplomatic passports to members of the House of Representatives.
Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal held discussions on Wednesday at Singha Durbar with chief whips of various political parties regarding the current legal provisions governing diplomatic passports for lawmakers.
According to Khushbu Oli, chief whip of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the meeting focused on how to make the process easier, as lawmakers have been demanding access to diplomatic passports.
She said discussions centered on amending existing legal provisions rather than bypassing current laws.
Under the existing Passport Act, only designated officials are entitled to diplomatic passports when traveling abroad for official duties or special assignments.
However, lawmakers often need to travel abroad for special programs or invitations, and current regulations do not allow them to obtain diplomatic passports in such cases. The meeting explored ways to address this issue within the legal framework.
Oli said party representatives would further discuss the matter within their respective parties before holding follow-up talks with the Speaker.
She also noted that the Speaker has been playing a positive role in addressing parliamentary issues and concerns of lawmakers.
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