Nepal withdraws passport deal with India

Kathmandu, Apr 12: Nepal has decided to withdraw a passport deal with India due pressure from Maoists, a government official said here.

Speaking to reporters, Nepal Communication Minister and government spokesman Shanker Pokharel said that the government has decided to withdraw the decision to print the passport in an Indian security press.

Nepal government had decided to award the contract of supplying MRP to Indian security press at a rate of $4 per copy.

The deal was done through bilateral negotiations in order to get the ultra-modern passport printed as soon as possible after the International Civil Aviation Organisation asked it to halt issuance of hand written passports.

The decision to cancel the order came after Maoists announced general strike on Monday, Apr 12, to oppose the government's plan to get the smart passports printed in Indian press.

"As the government withdrew the decision to print the passport from India, the Maoists also withdrew their strike," the Maoist sources said.

Nepal's Supreme Court has also issued an Interim Order to halt the process of printing until it gave a full verdict in the matter.

OneIndia News