Kathmandu, Aug 22: Lawmakers were divided on Friday over a proposal to bring the National Investigation Department (NID) under the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, instead of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The National Assembly held a theoretical discussion on the Bill to Reinstate the Previous Provisions of the Nepal Special Service Act, 2042. Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobita Gautam, on behalf of Prime Minister Balendra Shah, presented a proposal seeking consideration of the bill, which had been received from the House of Representatives with a message. Taking part in the discussion, lawmakers expressed both support and opposition to the proposed change.
Lawmaker Padam Bahadur Pariyar warned that concentrating power could lead to administrative distortions. He argued that the Prime Minister’s Office should focus on strategic leadership and coordination rather than bringing smaller administrative units directly under its control.
He said the proposed arrangement could hinder the department’s institutional development and expertise, and called for the bill to be sent to the Legislation Committee for detailed discussion.
Similarly, lawmaker Suresh Kumar Ale Magar described the repeated transfer of the sensitive department between the Home Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office as treating it like a “football.” He warned that such institutional instability could affect its functioning and demanded that the government explain why it wanted to revive provisions from the Panchayat era.
Lawmaker Ranjit Karna also questioned why the department was being moved from the Home Ministry to the Prime Minister’s Office and what additional benefits the change would provide.
Arguing against excessive concentration of power, Karna said national security intelligence gathering and political surveillance were separate matters.
“Information gathering for national security and political surveillance are different issues,” he said. “There must be a legal guarantee that citizens or the opposition will not be monitored because of their political disagreements.”
Backing the bill, lawmaker Mina Singh Khadka said the department already falls under the Prime Minister’s Office under the Nepal Government Rules of Business, 2074, and that the bill was needed to bring the legal framework in line with the existing arrangement.
However, she also supported committee level discussion to clarify issues concerning national security, intelligence analysis and confidentiality.
The bill will now move toward clause by clause discussion, with lawmakers urging the government to refine the legislation in the national interest rather than through partisan considerations.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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