Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, had a telephone conversation Tuesday over the latest political development in Nepal. According to a press statement from the Prime Minister's Personal Secretariat, Prime Minister Koirala shared the latest developments in Nepal on the constitution-drafting front.The prime minister said Nepal has reached the moment of fulfilling the long-standing aspirations of the Nepali people to have their constitution written by their own representatives. "The soul of Nepal's peace process is democracy, development and rule of law. No peace can endure without respect for universally accepted democratic norms and human rights," the prime minister's foreign relations advisor, Dinesh Bhattarai, quoted Prime Minister Koirala as saying during the telephone conversation.
While applauding India's neighborhood-first policy and its unprecedented support to Nepal in the aftermath of the massive earthquake, Prime Minister Koirala sought the support of India for the integrity and sanctity of the constitution-making process in Nepal.
On the occasion, Indian Prime Minister Modi reiterated the message that the political leadership of Nepal should resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue between all political parties and through a process of the widest possible consultations. He also urged Koirala to strengthen the climate of trust and confidence across and between all sections of society and arrive at a solution that reflects the will and accommodates the aspirations of all the citizens of a richly diverse society within a united, peaceful, stable and prosperous Nepal, according to a statement from the Indian External Affairs Ministry.
Prime Minister Modi also conveyed that India would do all it can for the security of Nepal. This comes in the wake of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam saying in parliament that he had heard that a large number of intruders from the south had entered Gaur, Rautahat, clearly indicating areas bordering India.
Indian ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae met Home Minister Gautam at his office Tuesday afternoon to express concern over his remarks. According to an embassy statement, Rae expressed concern about this and similar unsubstantiated statements that could cause misunderstandings and distort perceptions about cordial and friendly relations between the two countries.
Over a dozen persons, including seven police personnel, have been killed and scores of others injured in violence that took place in various parts of the country over delineations of the proposed federal provinces. The situation in various parts of the country continues to remain tense, with police and agitating protestors taking to the streets.
Prime Minister Modi assured Koirala that India's one and only desire was to see the emergence of a peaceful, secure, stable, democratic and prosperous Nepal, which draws strength from its rich social diversity, enormous resources and extraordinary talents. He reiterated that India would continue to provide all support to Nepal in accordance with the wishes and priorities of the people of Nepal to achieve that goal.
Likewise, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHRC) has urged political leaders and protesters to sit down together to find a peaceful solution to the current situation.
Issuing a press statement on the latest situation in Nepal Tuesday, spokesperson for the UNOHCHR Rupert Colville said there was a clear risk that the protests and violence would continue to feed off each other in the coming days. "We are concerned by reports from Nepal of continuing political violence," he said.
UNOHCHR also urged the Government of Nepal to create a climate where minority or dissenting views or beliefs were respected and the security forces only employed force as a last resort and in full accordance with standards laid out under international law for maintaining public order.
Although the statement has urged the protestors not to pursue violent confrontations with the security forces, UNOHCHR has not said a single word about the brutal killing of police personnel, one of whom was burned alive. Likewise, the protestors also mercilessly killed a two-year-old.
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