Kathmandu, Aug. 6 -- A parliamentary committee in Nepal has directed the government to seek an explanation from three international human rights organisations over a joint statement critical of recent developments in the country's judiciary, drawing criticism from rights advocates who question the committee's jurisdiction to take up the matter.

The House of Representatives' Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee instructed the government on Wednesday to ask Amnesty International, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and Human Rights Watch to provide evidence supporting claims made in a joint statement issued on July 24. The government had already rejected the statement and lodged its objections before the committee's intervention....