Nearly a month after the opposition’s demand, the government has constituted a committee to investigate the visit visa scam, a move welcomed by the main opposition but rejected by two other political parties.

On Monday evening, the Cabinet formed a panel, led by former chief secretary, Shankar Das Bairagi, with joint-secretaries from seven ministries as its members. Announcing its formation in Tuesday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak detailed the terms of reference of the probe panel and claimed that it will dig out all aspects of the scam. “The committee will also provide suggestions for short-term, long-term, legal and institutional reforms,” he said. The committee has three months to accomplish its job.

As the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is already investigating the visit visa case, the newly formed committee will study matters that fall outside the antigraft body’s jurisdiction. Starting May 27, the opposition parties started obstructing the House of Representatives demanding formation of a judicial or parliamentary probe panel and subsequent resignation of Lekhak.

On June 13, the CPN (Maoist Centre) ended the House obstruction after forging a two-point agreement with the ruling parties, which included conducting a study to resolve the long standing issues relating to immigration and visit visa. The government announced that the probe committee was formed in line with the deal.

The main opposition said it has cautiously welcomed the government’s decision to form the committee respecting the June 13 agreement. Putting his party’s views in Parliament, Barshaman Pun, Maoist Centre deputy general secretary, said the CIAA has been investigating the matter but there are several other issues the newly formed committee needs to dig out.

Following complaints about the scam, the commission, in the third week of May, started its investigation, keeping Tirtha Bhattarai, then immigration chief at Tribhuvan International Airport, at the centre.

“It should investigate the problems seen in the respective state agencies—from the past to the present—and examine how and why crimes have occurred in the gray areas of governance,” he said. “We have heard that travel agencies, manpower companies, airlines, and even national and international officials are involved in these cases. It is expected to look into all these matters.”

Stating that his party will be vigilant at the committee, he said his party expects fact-based investigation and the report and recommendations in line with the people's sentiments. “If the investigation is not carried out in a factual and credible manner, it will lead to public distrust,” he said. “The report that doesn’t address the concerns from the different quarters will not be acceptable.”

Unlike the Maoist Centre, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) not just rejected the Bairagi-led committee but also boycotted the House meeting. Both the parties claimed that the panel led by the former bureaucrat can not probe the issue linked with the home minister.

Addressing the House, Swarnim Wagle, RSP vice-president, even questioned Bairagi’s integrity claiming that the committee would turn out to be the government’s rubber stamp. “He (Bairagi) himself is under the radar of competent investigation agencies. How can someone under the scanner lead the investigation?” he asked. “This is why we are demanding an investigation commission chaired by a sitting or former judge.”

While announcing the committee in the House, Lekhak said it was formed under his recommendation. Citing his statement, Wagle said, “The home minister is indirectly involved in the visit visa. When did we start practicing forming the committee by the accused himself? We may be new, but we are not fools.” Questioning the intention behind forming a retired bureaucrat-led committee, he said Bhattarai was a morning walk partner to Lekhak.

Seconding Wagle, RPP chief whip, Gyanendra Shahi, claimed the government was unwilling to find out the reality relating to the visit visa scam. “This is a new conspiracy to cover up the crime and grant impunity to the home minister who is involved in this case,” said Shahi. “Now we will not just protest in the House but also in the streets.”

Like the opposition, the political observers are also not convinced that a committee led by Bairagi will be able to carry out an impartial and fair investigation. Sanjeev Humagain, who teaches to PhD students in Tribhuvan University, said the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, being ruling parties, had a duty for proper consultations with the opposition before announcing the probe panel. “The way the investigation panel has been announced gives ample room to suspect the ruling party's intention. Can the committee with a home ministry joint-secretary as a member take a statement against the home minister?,” he said. “The terms of reference of the committee are also so shallow that there is no need for a separate committee to carry out those tasks. A department within the ministry can accomplish them.”