Kantipur Report
KATHMANDU, May 4 - Government spokesman and Minister for Information and Communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara Friday asserted that the incidents of attack on the journalists during the people's was "justified".
Speaking at a programme organized by Nepal Press Institute in the capital, he argued that the activities against the press must not be evaluated through a professional point of view and that when evaluated through a political perspective, it would lend an entirely different picture.
"The incident viewed by itself gives it one picture, but when you add up the situation in its entirety, it gives a whole new picture," Mahara said.
"Some incidents when viewed from a political angle appear natural and proper, while others seem unnatural and improper"
he defended the actions against the press stating that "correct conclusion" could not be drawn by evaluating the incidents of attacks on journalists through a professional's viewpoint only.
During the decade long Maoist insurgency, journos Gyanendra Khadka of Sindhupalchowk and Degendra Thapa Dailekh were slain by the Maoists while the state killing of pro-Maoist journalist Krishna Sen had made headlines.
Mahara today also expressed its commitment to provide compensation and treatment to the journalists who died or were injured during the decade-long Maoist insurgency.
He said that the government was committed towards providing compensation to the families of journos who died during the conflict and those who lost their limbs and giving proper treatment to those injured and informed that work regarding the same had already been initiated.
Stating that his party (CPN-M) had always advocated in favour of the press, Mahara apologized for his party's past mistakes.
However, after Mahara left the programme mid-way due to his busy schedule, the parliamentarians and media persons present at the programme criticized him saying that attacks on the press were in no way acceptable.
Stating that his statement was “frighteningâ€, they demanded that such incidents against the press should be investigated and evaluated at present rather than in future.
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