Nepal FM urges world community to help safe release of Bipin from Hamas captivity

Kathmandu, Sep 24 (PTI) Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzu Deuba Rana has called on the international community to help in the safe release of Nepali youth Bipin Joshi, who has been in the Palestinian militant group Hamas captivity since October 7 last year.

Addressing the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in New York on Monday, Rana requested the global community to take action for his release.

Rana said that Nepal is eagerly awaiting Joshi's safe return.

Joshi was taken hostage when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Ten Nepali students were killed in the attack.

Rana said that the Nepal government has condemned the attack and has been demanding Joshi’s safe release.

During her address, she also underscored the need for collective efforts to end violence and establish peace in the world.

She said that wars, conflicts, and acts of violence continue to occur in various parts of the world under different names and pretexts, making it imperative for the global community to take collective action to end violence and maintain peace.

"I believe that conflicts have escalated in many parts of the world since World War II. Therefore, we stand at a very complex juncture in history, and it has become crucial to prioritize the protection of civilians from armed conflict,” she said.

"We are now at the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, yet we are ignoring or misinterpreting the principles they embody for the protection of civilians. This situation must end soon, and we must all move forward with peaceful coexistence," she said.

Rana said that the death toll in Gaza is heartbreaking, and the suffering of civilians in the Russia-Ukraine war is similarly distressing. She called for an immediate halt to such violent actions and urged the finding of peaceful solutions to these problems.

"Nepal condemns the killing of civilians, journalists, UN employees, health workers, and all ordinary citizens in Gaza, as well as the attacks on infrastructure,” she said. "The destruction of hospitals, private homes, schools, etc, has forced people to live in fear and terror, and such actions must be stopped immediately." Rana requested the international community to seek constructive solutions to conflicts, whether between Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine, or other similar situations and to exert pressure to end violence. PTI SBP ZH ZH