Veteran Nepali journalist Mathawar Singh Basnet passes away at 79

March 22, Kathmandu: Senior journalist Mathawar Singh Basnet passed away at the age of 79 due to a heart attack on Saturday morning. He was on ventilator support at Annapurna Neuro Hospital in Kathmandu after suffering a heart attack on Thursday night.

Basnet was the publisher and editor of Purnajagaran Weekly and had served as the chair of Gorkhapatra Corporation, as well as leading the Press Council of Nepal. He was also the former chairperson of the National News Agency (RSS).

A leader of the Nepali Congress in Bhaktapur, he was imprisoned several times in his struggle for democracy after entering politics in 2017 BS. He was released from prison following the establishment of democracy in the country in 1990.

He is survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter. His cremation will take place on Saturday itself at Pashupati Aryaghat in Kathmandu, according to Sushil Basnet, Secretary of the Nepali Congress Bhaktapur District Committee.