The leaders on Friday decided to hold next meeting of the subcommittee, which is headed by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, only after resolving major contentious issues at the political level.[break]
The decision was taken as Nepali Congress (NC) officially decided to expedite the constitution drafting process only after the government makes a tangible progress in the peace process. Another opposition party CPN-UML has backed NC in its stance.
The meeting on Friday witnessed an intense debate among the members after NC parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel, while distributing a copy of his party´s decision to other members, insisted that major contentious issues with regard to integration of former Maoist combatants be resolved prior to expediting statute drafting process in the subcommittee.
According to a participant, Dahal, responded to Paudel strongly in an apparent show of disapproval. "What is the point of convening this subcommittee´s meeting if every issue is to be settled only at the political level outside this panel," a member quoted Dahal as saying at the meeting. "Then, let´s dissolve it if it is irrelevant."
At this point, CA Chairman Nembang interrupted and urged the leaders not to react in haste, said a leader.
"There is no dispute over the fact that the constitution making process should be concluded only after accomplishing the basic tasks of the peace process," Nembang said at the meeting.
But he advised the leaders to put forth a proposal to form the experts panel within CA as an alternative to the proposed state restructuring commission.
He urged the leaders to carry on with constitution writing and peace process simultaneously. "The prime minister has already committed to accomplish the basic tasks of the peace process within 45 days. I urge the leaders to prepare the integrated draft report within this period," he said at the meeting.
He advised the leaders to begin the process of forming the experts panel as it may require weeks together to accomplish it. "It will take at least two weeks to form the panel because it requires amendment to the interim constitution and the parliamentary regulations. After that, we need to give at least one month for the body to come up with its recommendations on the state restructuring," he argued at the meeting. "Work on the first draft will start only after that."
Nembang in essence was of the view that there was no point in stopping work at the subcommittee. He said the government, as per its commitment, shall conclude the peace process by the time the experts panel is formed and starts work.
NC and UML leaders, however, didn´t buy his argument. Terming the government decision to handover the keys of the arms containers to the special committee a superficial move, member of the subcommittee Agni Kharel of UML said his party would not be ready to expedite the constitution drafting process without first making tangible progress in the peace process.
"Handing over of the keys by Maoist Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal to the Maoist vice-chairman and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is not a significant step in advancing the peace process," Kharel told Republica.
"Besides this, the government has so far done nothing with regard to advancing the peace process." He said the Maoists and the government must fix the integration number, set the norms and modality, settle the rank harmonization and prepare the rehabilitation package beforehand.
Radheshyam Adhikari of NC said his party won´t budge from its stand.
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