Leaders of various political parties have expressed their commitment to uphold press freedom in the country.

Speaking at an interaction programme organized by the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) in the capital on Friday, central committee member of the Nepali Congress Arjun Narsingh KC said his party was committed for complete press freedom.

He highlighted the role that Nepalese media played during the democratic struggle. He said media played a vital role in raising awareness among the people on democracy and fundamental human rights that ushered support to the April uprising.

At the same program, UML leader Ishwor Pokherel said the boundary of right to information should be expanded and editorial freedom should also be guaranteed.

He accepted that the draft interim constitution has flaws regarding press freedom and it needs revision.

Maoist leader Khim Lal Devkota, who was a member of interim constitution drafting committee, said his party respects and upholds press freedom and freedom of expression. He also expressed his regrets over the incidents of violation of media rights by his party during the conflict. He further said that the government should not run the media and also the commercialization of media should be stopped.

Purushottam Dahal, president of Human Rights and Peace Society (HURPES), said freedom can never be curtailed in any pretext or by any means and Nepalis would not tolerate such restrictions anymore. He added the draft constitution should be reviewed to address the concerns of media persons to ensure complete press freedom.

FNJ President Bishnu Nisthuri expressed his delight over the commitment on complete press freedom expressed in the agreement between the seven parties and the Maoists and emphasized on its implementation. He further said the interim constitution should guarantee press freedom in such a way that no forces could clip it in the future.