The assembly organized by nearly 50 professional organizations including the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Professionals´ Alliance for Peace and Democracy (PAPAD), Nepal Chamber of Commerce and supported by several non-political civil society organizations, groups, clubs and individuals lasted for one and a half hour.[break]
Entrepreneurs and professionals including doctors, engineers, journalists, professors, teachers, rights activists, artistes and people from various walks of life attended the assembly.
At the assembly that began at 9 am, FNCCI Chairman Kush Kumar Joshi asked the UCPN (Maoist) to immediately call off the indefinite general strike and seek solution through dialogues.
He said people are fed up with violence, strike and agitation. "We don´t want to see the indefinite strike prolonged," said Joshi, adding, "We want peace and consensus. We therefore request the parties to forge consensus and end the political stalemate. The political parties must forge national consensus within two days."
Noted comedy artistes Madan Krishna Shrestha and Hari Bansha Acharya also asked the Maoists to withdraw the strike, violence and protests.
"The country takes a decisive turn after intellectuals and professionals come to the streets," said Madan Krishna Shrestha, adding, "This fact has already been proved in the past as well."
He also requested political parties to forge national consensus within two days and end strike at the earliest. "People can tolerate no longer if the general strike is not called off and national consensus is not forged at the earliest. No one can predict the consequences if the people´s patience runs out," Shrestha said while addressing the assembly.
Acharya urged the political parties to forge consensus as soon as possible. "People can´t wait anymore and thus the parties must forge consensus by this evening [Friday]," he said, adding, "Leaders are the servants of people. They must obey what people demand."
Nepal Bar Association Chairman Prem Bahadur Khadka requested the parties to show maximum flexibility to forge consensus.
Similar rallies were held in all 75 districts across the country.
Maoists attack peace marchers
After participating in the assembly, thousands of peace activists took out a rally from Basantapur to Exhibition Road.
Maoist cadres tried to confront the rally at several places including Exhibition Road where police fired around a dozen of tear gas shells to contain the masses. Maoist cadres had formed a three-layer human chain to stop the rally.
A few dozens of participants sustained minor injuries in the stampede after police intervention. Renu Chand, a Maoist CA member, was also injured. A rally participant has sustained serious head injury, according to the Kathmandu Model Hospital.
The Maoists pelted stones at the rally at Bagbazaar where police fired a round of tear gas shell to control the masses.
Security was beefed around Tundikhel to prevent confrontations between Maoists and the peace marchers. Nearly 200 policemen were stationed at Sundhara where a sizable number of Maoists carrying lathis stood ready to confront the peace rally.
Similarly, the Maoists clashed at Krishna Mandir in Patan. Participants of the peace rally vandalized a vehicle used by the Maoists.
Earlier, Maoist cadres tried to block people from heading to the peace rally at several places including Teku, Pulchowk and Bagbazaar. Many people participated in the assembly with national flag despite Maoist obstructions.
Maoists attacked at a mass of hundreds of people at Kupondole as they headed to Basantapur to join the peace assembly. Parliamentarian and senior Maoist leader Pampha Bhusal was leading the Maoists there. But she couldn´t control the Maoist mass and those heading to the peace assembly had to back off.
Meanwhile, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in its press release said police exercised restraint during clashes between the peace activists and Maoist cadres.
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