Kathmandu, June 22 -- Since 2012, successive governments have been quietly facilitating the resettlement of urban refugees, the Post has learned. Most recently, earlier this month, 72 Pakistani and Bangladeshi urban refugees had their overstay visa fees waived, thus allowing them to leave the country and resettle in Canada.

The first such decision was made in 2012 by the Baburam Bhattarai administration, on the grounds that "prolonging their [urban refugees'] stay in Nepal would only complicate matters". The 2012 decision was announced as a "one-time provision that should not be taken as a precedent."

However, successive governments, including the current KP Sharma Oli administration, have been using similar means to allow the quiet res...