NT Bureau
KATHMANDU: The government of Nepal has announced a public holiday on Tuesday on the occasion of the state visit of Amir of Qatar H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Kathmandu Post has reported.
Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma, who is also the government’s spokesperson, said a meeting of the Council of Ministers held at Singha Durbar on Monday decided to grant a public holiday.
Amir is arriving in Kathmandu on Tuesday on a two-day visit on an invitation by President Ramchandra Paudel.
His earlier Nepal visit scheduled for November 6 and 7 last year was postponed due to tensions in the Middle East.
Another report said the government has arranged high protocol security for the Amir. “He is arriving at 5 o’clock in the evening. He will be directly taken to the Soaltee Hotel from the airport under high security.’ High protocol security arrangements have been put in place similar to those for heads of state, including the one from India,” said a high-security source speaking to Nepalese newspaper Republica.
According to sources, the Nepali Army will be providing security to Amir for the first time, with support from the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police.
This will be Amir’s first official two-day visit to Nepal. Foreign experts suggest that Nepal stands to benefit from Qatar’s investments, the rescue of missing Bipin Joshi held captive by Hamas, and potential labour agreements. They believe Nepal has an environment conducive to attracting investments in hydropower, technology transfer, and other sectors.
