KATHMANDU, Oct 8: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is making strides toward finalizing the Transitional Justice Bill. With the parliamentary sub-committee endorsing the transitional justice bill, Prime Minister Dahal has initiated efforts to secure the support of the main opposition leader, CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli, to advance the legislation.
The sub-committee, a component of the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee within the House of Representatives, has reached a consensus on the government's proposed amendments to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Act, 2071, leaving some issues.
The issues yet to be agreed upon include determining which human rights violations encompass arbitrary and capricious killings and non-combat killings, and how to address individuals involved in and affected by the armed conflict. Additionally, there is an ongoing debate regarding whether sentences can be reduced by disclosing the reasons for the reduction, and how to proceed if the victims do not grant free consent for reconciliation in cases involving human rights violations.
Prime Minister Dahal held discussions with Oli on Saturday as the main opposition party, UML, remains cautious about the Transitional Justice (TJ) Bill. Surya Kiran Sharma, PM Dahal's Press Coordinator, said that the two leaders held meetings at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar. Sources suggest that during the meeting, Oli expressed reservations about certain aspects of the TJ Bill.
Reviewing transitional justice
It has been reported that Oli emphasized the need for major political parties to collaborate and make necessary adjustments to matters that were agreed upon by the parliamentary sub-committee. In the meeting between PM Dahal and Oli, Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dhanraj Gurung was also present.
The government initially introduced the TJ Bill to the House of Representatives on March 9. A sub-committee was formed on May 19 to facilitate consensus. Following the sub-committee's Saturday meeting, an agreement has been reached on the bill's report, albeit with some unresolved issues.
In a separate meeting, Madhav Kumar Nepal, chairman of the CPN (Unified Socialist), met with PM Dahal. It is believed that the two leaders discussed the current political situation in the country.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Dahal met with President Ramchandra Paudel on Saturday. In the evening on Saturday, Prime Minister Dahal reached Shital Niwas to meet with President Paudel. Prior to this, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka, along with another Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, also had separate meetings with President Paudel.
