Kathmandu, December 9
Over 1,200 have received permits to work as security guards on foreign soil in the last 15 days after the government lifted a ban on recruitment of Nepalis for the job.
Following a directive from the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations and Labour Affairs, the government in September had decided not to issue permits to Nepali nationals to work as security guards abroad. The decision was prompted by the killing of over a dozen Nepali security guards in Afghanistan in June.
However, the ban was overturned two weeks ago when the same committee told the government that the decision did more harm than good.
Data from the Foreign Employment Department shows that over a hundred Nepalis were issued permits every day. A total of 1,200 now have permits. The Department’s acting chief Krishna Dawadi told Onlinekhabar that recruitment agencies facing legal charges have not been allowed to recommend permits for workers.
According to sources, the government backtracked on the decision after the government of Malaysia, where only Nepalis can be hired as guards, as per the law, to allow non-Nepalis to take up the job.
The government has already decided that Nepali security guards can also work for ‘selected’ diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.
Nepali security guards are also in demand in the UAE and Qatar.
