CREDENTIALS PRESENTED TO AFGHAN PRESIDENT Kathmandu, 5 May: Ambassador of Nepal to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Bharat Raj Paudel, presented letters of credence to President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai amid a special ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul on Saturday, RSS reports.. Ambassador Paudel is Nepal’s residential Ambassador to Islamic Republic of Pakistan concurrently accredited to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Following the credential ceremony, Ambassador Paudel had a courtesy call on the Afghan President, where he discussed matters of mutual interests and potential areas of bilateral cooperation, according to the Nepali Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. While receiving the Ambassador at his office, President Hamid Karzai expressed keen interests in the history and political development of Nepal in recent years and asked the Ambassador to convey his greetings and best wishes to the President of Nepal. The President also highlighted about the traditionally warm and friendly relations between the two countries and the peoples. Coinciding the opportunity, Ambassador Paudel also handed over the letter written by the then Prime Minister of Nepal addressed to President Hamid Karzai requesting clemency to Nepali national Tilak Bahadur Thapa Magar, who is in prison in Helmond Province of Afghanistan. The Ambassador outlined the clean and unproblematic antecedents of Thapa Magar and explained the reasons for seeking pardon from the highest level of the Afghan Government so that he could return to Nepal as soon as possible. The President keenly examined the letter and handed over the same to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, H.E. Zalmai Rassoul, who was also present during the meeting, for needful consideration. Ambassador Paudel also attended a gathering organized by the Nepalese expatriate community in Kabul and discussed the nature of the problems they are facing while taking up employment there and the ways how the Embassy and the Government of Nepal could be of assistance in addressing the problems and extend help in time of need. nnnn