In the page stating restrictions in the passport, the statement reads: Not valid to travel to Iraq for work. [break]
“The new passports to be issued this month onward prohibit Nepalis from seeking employment in Iraq,” Suresh Pradhan, the spokesperson of MoFA said, adding, “But this will not bar Nepalis visiting Iraq on a tourist visa.”
The passports were supplied by an Indonesian firm, Perum Puriri, which won a MOFA tender to print 3.2 million passports.
Arun Prasad Dhital, the chief of protocol at MoFA said, “From now on, this condition will apply to all passports.”
Nepal has been facing labor-related problems emanating from Iraq for quite some time and government attempts to stop Nepalis from venturing into Iraq have failed.
In 2004, an Iraqi terrorist group called Ansar al-Sunnah had slaughtered 12 Nepali workers in Iraq.
When the killings took place, an estimated 200,000 Nepalis were working in Iraq as laborers, drivers, guards, cleaners and cooks among others in Iraq, even though Nepal had issued travel advisory for its citizens against visiting Iraq due to security concerns.
akanshya@myrepublica.com
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