KATHMANDU, Nov 19: Various stakeholders including ex-parliamentarians on Saturday suggested holding consultations on the constitution amendment at local level. 

The attendants at a program on 'Challenges of Nepal's Constitution and Resolving Measures' organized by the Former Parliamentarians' Forum noted that deliberations of local people should be collected on the demarcation of local body boundaries. 

They also suggested taking constitution amendment forward by putting national interest at the center. 

On the occasion, former minister Lal Babu Pandit said problems would not have been surfaced in course of constitution implementation had the voices of Nepalis were taken into account. 

Objection to allow naturalized citizenship holders in to top state positions, Pandit, also a leader of CPN-UML, termed those advocating for granting key state posts to naturalized citizenship holders an agent of foreign power. 

In the context of the report that 60,000 Nepalis voted in recently held US Presidential elections, he was of the view that their Nepali citizenships certificates should be scrapped. 

Likewise, former Chairman of Nepal Bar Association Shambhu Thapa stressed the need for all to cooperate in strengthening sovereignty which, he said, was weakening lately. 

Stating that the tenure of the present Parliament could not be extended, he suggested holding local body election in the first phase and elections of the federal and central in the second phase. 

Forum Chairman Omkar Prasad Shrestha said the forum would hold consultations on the issue at local level. 

Other speakers including former lawmaker Sharadha Pokharel, former Chairman of Kathmandu District Development Committee Sanu Kumar Shrestha, former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Haribol Bhattarai stressed the need for all to take ownership of the constitution, saying the constitution is a document of compromise and cannot accommodate voices of all. RSS 

 
• ex-parliamentarians
 
• constitution amendment