Former Speaker Dhungana passes away

Kathmandu / Nov. 17: Former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana has passed away.

Gopal Krishna Ghimire, chairman of the Nepal Bar Association, informed that Dhungana died while under treatment at the Purano Baneshwar based Frontline hospital.

Also a senior advocate, Dhungana was elected a member of the House of Representatives (HoR) from Nepali Congress (NC) in 1992. He was Speaker of the HoR from 1992 to 1995.

Dhungana’s political journey began during the Panchayat period by forming a student organization; he had an established identity of a senior advocate, human rights activist and civil society leader. He became the general secretary of the Nepal Bar Association in 2028 BS. He also engaged in journalism and teaching.

After being elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Kathmandu in 2048 BS, he became the Speaker. After losing to Bidya Bhandari in the midterm elections of 2051 BS, Dhungana was openly engaged in the peace process. He was one of the facilitators of the government-Maoist peace talks.