Kathmandu [Nepal], June 18 (ANI): Nepali activists on Wednesday held a peaceful demonstration outside the Israeli embassy and Iranian consulate in Kathmandu, calling on both parties to de-escalate the raging conflict.
About two dozen members from the Human Rights and Peace Society stood on the roadside leading to the Israeli embassy and Iranian consulate, expressing concern over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
The activists held banners and placards with slogans and messages for both nations to immediately end the escalating violence in West Asia.
“We are here to demonstrate, to call on Israel and Iran to resolve their differences through dialogue. Stop war, promote peace; Israel first attacked Iran this time, so it’s Israel’s primary responsibility to take the initiative for the ceasefire to end the war. Secondly, we urge the Iranian authorities to abandon war and adopt diplomacy. Third, we would like to request the Iranian authority to restore democracy and respect human rights,” Krishna Pahadi, former chairman of the Amnesty International, Nepal Section, who led the demonstration, told ANI.
The activists displayed slogans with warnings that the conflict poses a serious threat to regional stability and global peace. The society emphasised the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the war and urged the international community to take calm and constructive action to resolve the situation.
The demonstrators held protest in front of the Israeli Embassy in Kathmandu first standing opposite to the entrance across the road for 30 minutes silently holding the placards. Then after, the demonstrators reached to the Iranian consulate where they demonstrated for the same time duration.
“First, from 11 AM (Local Time) for half an hour, we demonstrated in front of the Israeli embassy calling for peace. After that, we are here in front of the Iranian honorary consulate office in Kathmandu. Our major concern is the cost of humanity. Please reject the war, please abort the war, use your maximum effort to resolve this crisis,” Pahadi added.
Israel, on 13 June, had begun a preemptive strike against Iran. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had declared an emergency situation across the country due to Israel’s action in Iran.
Katz said that he signed “a special order, according to which a special state of emergency will be imposed in the home front throughout the entire State of Israel.”
On the first day of the attack, Israel had targeted dozens of locations across Iran related to the nuclear program and other military facilities. The attack that involved the Israeli Air Force was dubbed “Nation of Lions.”
The Israeli Defence Force said that Iran has enough enriched uranium to build several bombs within days, and it needs to act against this “imminent threat.” (ANI)
