By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, May 25: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has extended best wishes to all the Nepali Muslim sisters and brothers at home and abroad for their happiness, peace, prosperity and good health on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr.
In a message issued on the occasion, President Bhandari expressed her belief that the festival would help strengthen harmony, tolerance, fraternity and mutual support among all Nepalis. She also hoped that the festival would help various communities preserve, promote and develop their culture and tradition.
She further called on everyone to respect the lockdown and follow various health-related rules issued by the Government of Nepal and celebrate the festival safely by staying indoors.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has also extended greetings to all the Muslim men and women living both in and outside the country.
Issuing a message on the occasion of the great festival of the Muslim community, PM Oli called Nepal a beautiful multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural country and said that different religious and cultural festivals like Eid-Ul-Fitr reflected national unity, mutual harmony and tolerance.
“Different religious and cultural beliefs are respected and protected in our country,” he said in the message, adding, “The maintenance of unity, harmony and tolerance by keeping the values of democracy, social justice, national integrity and patriotism at the centre is our national characteristic.”
The prime minister also urged everyone to safely celebrate the festival and adopt special precautions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that the world is currently facing.
Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has also greeted the Muslim community with ‘Eid Mubarak’ and wished for their happiness, peace and prosperity.
In a greeting message, the leader of the main opposition party expressed his confidence that this holy festival would inspire one and all towards peace, harmony and prosperity and recalled the important role that the Muslim citizens have always played in upholding and safeguarding democracy in the nation.
He too asked everyone to celebrate this grand festival with mutual love and trust but maintain proper physical distance because of COVID-19.
Eid-Ul-Fitr is the last day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The government has declared a national holiday on Monday in recognition of the festival.
Chairman of the National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timalsina and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai also extended greetings by issuing separate statements.