The ruling party has thrown its weight behind Samim Ansari, for endorsing his nomination as the chairman of the National Muslim Commission despite controversy over his credentials.
The ruling party has thrown its weight behind Samim Ansari, for endorsing his nomination as the chairman of the National Muslim Commission despite controversy over his credentials.
The Nepal Communist Party, after reports suggested that Ansari was a central working committee member of the party at the time of his nomination, informed the Election Commission that the party has decided to relieve him of party responsibility. The party also asked the commission to remove Ansari’s name from the closed list of proportional lawmakers it had submitted during the election.
NCP General Secretary Bishnu Paudel had written two separate letters to the poll authority to ensure that Ansari’s name was removed from the list of candidates.
According to the Muslim Commission Act-2018, one must not be a member of any party at the time of appointment to qualify as chairman or a member.
The erstwhile CPN-UML in May 2018 nominated Ansari as the party’s CWC member. He retained the position after the party merged with the then CPN (Maoist Centre) to form the NCP.
“Following the ruling party’s letter, the Election Commission on Tuesday decided to remove Ansari’s name from the proportional [representation] list,” Sudheer Shah, an election commissioner, told the Post.
Ansari, who enjoys close relationship with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, also a co-chair of the party, was on the top of the list of proportional lawmaker candidates. He had joined the UML after quitting the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal some months prior to the 2017 general election.
The Parliamentary Hearing Committee is investigating his credentials following complaints that his citizenship and academic certificates were dubious, and that he was nominated to the post while he was also a member of a political party.
Four complaints were registered at the committee claiming that Ansari’s citizenship and academic credentials are forged and therefore he does not deserve the position he has been recommended for.
A preliminary investigation has shown the date of birth in the copy of citizenship provided to the hearing committee differs with the record at District Administration Office, Kathmandu which issued the certificate.
Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice.
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