Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, today requested President Maithripala Sirisena to reconsider the capital punishment handed by Sri Lanka to Nepali citizen Chet Bahadur Thapa (Lalitpur) for smuggling drugs into the country.

The request was made during a meeting held between the leaders who are presently in Goa to attend the BRICS- BIMSTEC Outreach Summit.

 Prime Minister Kamal Dahal also requested President Sirisena to make effective measures to control trafficking of Nepali women to the gulf countries via Sri Lanka.

On the occasion, matters relating to operating direct flights between the two countries and hosting the stalled 19th SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit were also discussed.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Dahal said though Nepal and Sri Lanka are somehow far in terms of geographical location, both countries need to play role in the overall development of the South Asia and in the maintenance of cordial relations among the SAARC countries.

Emphasising the need to hold the Summit of the regional body as soon as possible, he said the member countries should have common views regarding this.

In response, the Sri Lankan President underscored the need of making collective efforts to organise the SAARC Summit.

He said Sri Lanka was positive towards the concerns put forth by Nepal. (Himalayan Times)