(Updated with details, 1545 NST, 1100 GMT)
KATHMANDU, April 15: The ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the main opposition Nepali Congress reached an understanding on Wednesday to run the parliament sessions smoothly.
Following Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s committing to fulfilling the nine-point demands raised by the NC and to take decisions, through mutual consensus, on all issues related to the peace process, NC leaders agreed to end their protests in the parliament and allow the House meetings to run smoothly.[break]
For the past two weeks, the House had failed to enter into its regular agenda, and seven meetings were stalled after the ruling CPN-UML lawmakers demanded immediate action against the murderer of their cadre Prachanda Thaiba; NC lawmakers had also supported the cause raised by the UML.
“The prime minister will deliver a statement in the House today (Wednesday) addressing the issues we have been raising for the past several months,” said NC leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat.
What went wrong?
In his statement, the PM will promise to implement past agreements made, make a fresh commitment to end impunity in the country, and work collectively with the other parties on issues related to peace and the statute-making process.
As per the agreement, the Maoist-led government will withdraw its decision to declare as martyrs the 7,000 Maoists killed during the insurgency and accord equal treatment to all the people killed during the conflict era.
“All the people who were killed during the past period of conflict will be given equal honor and their families will be given equal compensation, irrespective of their party affiliation,” said Dr Mahat, quoting a clause in the agreement.
A political mechanism will be created to come up with the appropriate terms to be used to honor the people who lost their lives during the insurgency waged by the Maoists. The mechanism will also be used to determine the amount of compensation that will be provided to the families of the dead.
Leaders from both the parties also reiterated their commitment to settling the army integration row as per the letter and spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Accord and the Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies.
According to a participant at Wednesday’s meeting, Prime Minister Dahal has pledged to bring the person accused of murdering Thaiba before journalists and other political activists. The leaders present at the meeting also moved on to discuss other issues. The Maoist leaders, for example, agreed that the government would review the methods and mechanisms for implementing self-employment programs for youths that would aim to provide soft loans to unemployed youths.
“Such programs will now be implemented through the method agreed upon by the major parties in the Constituent Assembly,” said Dr Mahat.
