Nepal’s president seeks Amir’s help to free student held hostage by Hamas

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s president asked the Amir of Qatar, who was on a two-day visit to the South Asian country, to help release a Nepali student held hostage by Palestinian group Hamas, officials said on Wednesday.

President Ram Chandra Poudel met with Qatar Amir at the president’s house Kathmandu.

Amir said he would do everything possible to help release Bipin Joshi, the Nepali president’s press advisor, Kiran Pokharel, told The Associated Press.

Joshi was among 17 Nepali students studying agriculture in Alumim kibbutz, near the Gaza Strip, when Hamas attacked Southern Israel on Oct.7. Ten of the students were killed, six injured while Joshi was abducted and taken to Gaza.

Though there has been no information on his condition or whereabouts, Nepali officials said they believed he was still alive.

Qatar has played a key intermediary role throughout the war in Gaza.

Pokharel also said the Amir discussed the conditions of an estimated 400,000 Nepali migrant workers residing in Qatar, who mostly work in construction and manual labour.

The Amir said there were programmes planned to help Nepali workers find employment in other sectors, Pokharel said.

Amir also said his country planned to cooperate with Nepal on building hydropower plants, food production, and in the agriculture and tourism sectors.