PM Balen Shah Submits Medical Report to Wear Dark Glasses in Parliament

Prime Minister Balen Shah has submitted a medical examination report to the Federal Parliament Secretariat stating that he needs to wear dark glasses while attending the House of Representatives. Ekaram Giri, Joint Secretary and spokesperson for the Federal Parliament Secretariat, confirmed that a letter accompanied by the medical report recommending the use of dark glasses had been received. The issue has drawn renewed attention after Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal (DP) had previously instructed lawmakers, through their chief whips and whips, not to wear dark glasses inside Parliament. The Speaker had also said that lawmakers would need to submit a medical report if they had a medical reason for wearing them. Following the instruction, the Prime Minister’s Office submitted the letter and medical report stating that Shah requires dark glasses for medical reasons. The medical report was submitted ahead of Shah’s scheduled appearance in the House of Representatives for a direct question-and-answer session on Wednesday. Eleven lawmakers have registered questions for the Prime Minister. The session has been scheduled under Rule 56 of the House of Representatives Regulations, which provides for a direct question-and-answer session with the Prime Minister. The provision requires the Speaker to allocate the first hour of a House meeting during the first week of each month for questions concerning important matters directly related to the Prime Minister or his areas of responsibility. Rule 57 allows the session to be broadcast live through government and other media outlets. Similarly, Rule 58 requires lawmakers wishing to question the Prime Minister to submit written information about the subject of their questions to the Speaker at least three days before the meeting. Accordingly, Speaker Aryal had set August 21 as the deadline for lawmakers to register their questions. Eleven lawmakers subsequently registered questions for the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister’s use of dark glasses has become a subject of public discussion following the submission of the medical report.