Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has been named chairman of the committee that has two representatives each from the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), the Nepali Congress and the main opposition Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).
But Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma said that he was unaware of the committee being reconstituted. “The prime minister cannot reconstitute the committee under his chairmanship without holding consultations with other political parties,” Sharma said.
The eight-member committee also has one representative each from the ruling Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) and Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP).
Prime Minister Nepal and CPN-UML General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel represent the CPN-UML on the committee while Dr Ram Sharan Mahat and Dr Minendra Rijal are members on behalf of NC.
Maoist politburo leaders Barsha Man Pun and Ram Bahadur Thapa, a former defense minister, have been named as members on the committee to represent the UCPN(M).
Tourism Minister Sarat Singh Bhandari and Minister for Industry Mahendra Prasad Yadav represent MPRF and TMDP respectively. TMDP did not have a representative in the earlier committee headed by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. TMDP had then obstructed parliament, protesting formation of the earlier committee.
Pokharel, Mahat, Rijal and Thapa were also on the earlier committee headed by Dahal.
The reconstituted committee was initially scheduled to convene its first meeting at the prime minister´s residence at Baluwatar at 6 p.m. on Monday, but was put off.
Committee member Dr Mahat told myrepublica.com that the prime minister put off the meeting upon a request from the Maoist chairman.
“The prime minister told me that the meeting was put off upon Dahal´s request,” Mahat said.
Pokharel said Dahal asked the prime minister not to call the meeting of the special committee until the dispute in the MPRF is settled. The dispute is currently before the Election Commission.
The cabinet reconstituted the integration committee, which is central to forwarding the peace process, as the earlier committee formed in January became defunct after the government led by Maoist Chairman Dahal stepped down on May 4. Dahal had headed the earlier committee.
The committee is part of the agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies signed between the then government of the seven parties and the then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) on December 8, 2006, in the presence of Ian Martin, personal representative of the United Nations Secretary-General.
kiran@myrepublica.com
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