Dahal unhappy over parties´ attitude

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: A day after it came to ligh that the government sent a letter to the United Nations saying the Special Committee Secretariat was almost ready to take over the UN Mission in Nepal’s job, Unified CPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal today accused the political parties of preparing to send UNMIN back unilaterally.

Dahal claimed that there was no proper alternative mechanism yet to replace UNMIN. “Parties are sending back UNMIN without developing a proper alternative mechanism,” said Dahal while addressing a programme ‘Role of Muslim Liberation Front of Nepal on Drafting the Constitution’. “UNMIN has been playing an instrumental role for establishing lasting peace in Nepal.”

That the government officially told UN that SC Secretariat would take over the supervision and monitoring role of UNMIN and that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in his report, mentioned ‘it made little sense continually renewing UNMIN’s tenure’, speculations have almost come to an end that UNMIN will stay beyond January 15.

However, Dahal was of the view that the leaders, who according to him were earlier involved in suppressing the rights movement by imposing state of emergency in the country, were making attempts to derail the peace process. “Still we are not sure whether the new constitution will be drafted as per the peoples’ aspirations. Nor are we sure about peace process reaching a logical conclusion.”

The UCPN-M, which earlier had agreed with the government to extend UNMIN’s term for the last time in September, now strongly believes that the UN body must stay till May 28 — the deadline for the promulgation of the constitution — for the successful completion of the peace process. The party on Thursday had dispatched a letter to UN requesting the mission’s term extension.

The Maoist Chairman said the parties that suppressed the movements earlier were now at the helm and that they were busy appeasing the external forces rather than working in the interest of the people.