Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has expressed surprise over news reports claiming that she threatened Nepal Republic Media’s director, Shova Gyawali, during a phone conversation, stating that the exchange was misrepresented.
On May 16, journalist Dil Bhusan Pathak published a video report on Hilton Hotel and Jaybir Deuba, son of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Foreign Minister Rana, on his YouTube channel “Tough Talk with Dil Bhusan Pathak.”
The video was titled “Reality of Hilton Hotel and Jaybir Connection.”
Both Nagarik and Republica dailies had published news reports on the matter. On Thursday afternoon, Foreign Minister Rana had a telephone conversation with Director Gyawali regarding this issue.
“I am surprised to see news published in Nagarik Daily, her newspaper, claiming that I threatened Nepal Republic Media’s Director Shova Gyawali during yesterday’s phone conversation,” Foreign Minister Rana wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. “I had a conversation with her about a baseless and misleading video posted on social media with malicious intent to defame our family and its judicial resolution.”
Referring to the content uploaded by journalist Pathak on YouTube, Foreign Minister Rana said, "After learning that the organization broadcasting this misleading and baseless video was not even registered with any government body, we sought justice in accordance with the state’s law since the process could not be initiated through the Press Council."
She added, "The court has issued an arrest warrant against the individual who posted the misleading video, and we will follow whatever punishment the law prescribes. I had merely informed her about this matter. In fact, I suggested that a publication that has partnered with a media outlet like the New York Times, of which I am a regular reader, should publish news after verifying facts instead of publishing news based on such misleading videos as sources. However, I am surprised to see that she distorted our phone conversation and published news in her own newspaper claiming she was threatened.”
No one should forget the contributions of Nepali Congress, which has fought the most for democracy, civil rights, and press freedom in Nepal, Minister Rana said, adding that she is well aware of press freedom as a responsible member of that party.
"However, my belief is that the most important aspect of the media is that it should not lose its sense of responsibility and credibility. My view is that as democracy and the press complement each other, the media must also be responsible toward individual freedoms. My understanding is that the media is victim-friendly by nature. It is unfortunate that some opinions based on this are being interpreted by the press as threatening language," she said.
