NC sets condition for experts' panel on state restructuring

KATHMANDU, Sept 9: The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has agreed to form an expert panel as an alternative to the proposed state restructuring commission envisioned in the interim constitution provided that the ruling UCPN (Maoist) resolves all the five major thorny issues on army integration beforehand.



NC leaders clarified their stance during the talks with CPN-UML team held at Singha Durbar on Thursday morning.[break]



“The NC leaders are now ready to go for the formation of experts´ panel as an alternative to the state restructuring commission provided that the Maoists reciprocate by resolving the five contentious issues,” UML chief whip Bhim Acharya, who participated in the talks, told Republica. “The NC accepted our suggestion to go for the experts´ panel and we are one with the NC in pressing the Maoists to settle issues of integration beforehand because they are long overdue.”



The NC and UML leaders have said the UCPN (Maoist), which also heads the government, must fix the integration number, modality, norms, rank harmonization and rehabilitation package. “The NC will then be ready to formally table the proposal on forming the experts´ panel,” said Acharya.



The NC has consistently been demanding tangible progress in the peace process prior to advancing the task of constitution writing. The NC is for promulgating the new constitution only after concluding the peace process arguing that writing the new constitution without first resolving the issue of Maoists´ arms and armies can´t ensure peace and democracy in a true sense.



Dispute resolution subcommittee in limbo



Work at the dispute resolution subcommittee formed under the Constitutional Committee of the Constituent Assembly (CA) has also been affected as leaders decided to hold its meeting only after NC made its stance clear on forming the experts´ panel. Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal heads the subcommittee.







The subcommittee´s meetings scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday were postponed at the eleventh hour as the NC central committee was holding discussions over whether or not to seek an alternative to the commission envisioned in the statute.



“The meeting on Tuesday was cancelled citing NC´s party meeting while the Wednesday´s meeting was postponed as the NC and UML were holding talks on the same matter,” said an official at the parliament secretariat.



According to him, it is still not confirmed whether the leaders will convene the subcommittee´s meeting on Friday.

Related story

No new civil service post before action plan on state restructu...