Kamana Prakashan Samuha, one of the largest private publication houses in the country, has halted publication of Nepal Samacharpatra daily from Wednesday for the next few days.

In a statement, Puskar Lal Shrestha, executive chairman of the publication house, said the publication of the daily has been suspended after a group of hawkers affiliated to Customer’s Solution created obstruction in its regular work.

Shrestha further said the Samuha took this unpleasant decision after hawkers exerted undue pressure on the publication house demanding that they be allowed to register a Maoist-aligned All Nepal Communication, Press and Publications Trade Union.

The agitators also prevented the publication of the Samuha’s eveninger Mahanagar on Tuesday.

The agitators have been carrying out various protest programmes and creating obstacles on regular work of the publication house since the last six weeks.

Customer’s Solution is the distributor for this publication house in Kathmandu.

“Since the hawkers are associated with another agency, the publication is not liable, on legal, moral and technical grounds, for fulfilling their demands. Such political and illegal intervention is an extreme violation of independent press,” Shrestha said in his statement.

This is the first time that a leading private daily has suspended its publication after 1990.