Addressing a meeting of parliament´s State Affairs Committee (SAC), Minister Mahara argued that the withdrawal of the cases is in line with the spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) reached before the Maoists formally came into mainstream politics in 2006. [break]
“The home minister himself is not free of such cases. So I do not take your demand amiss,” he said while responding to the demand of Maoist lawmakers to take initiatives to withdraw cases against them.
Minister Mahara´s remarks come in the wake of some 250 individuals, who have been charge-sheeted for various crimes, submitting applications at the ministry for withdrawal of cases pending against them at district courts across the country.
Mahara said they have categorized the cases that were filed between 1996, when the Maoist insurgency started, and 2006. “We have initiated a process to withdraw the cases without any prejudice. We will carry out serious investigations and take a decision to withdraw cases that are political in nature,” he said.
The government led by Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had withdrawn a total of 339 cases filed against Maoist cadres during the Maoist insurgency. The governments led by the late Girija Prasad Koirala and Madhav Kumar Nepal had also withdrawn some cases brought against Maoist cadres during the conflict period.
Mahara claimed that those seeking withdrawal of cases belong not only to the Maoist party but also to other parties including Madhesi People´s Rights Forum, CPN-UML and Nepali Congress.
Speaking on the occasion, UML lawmaker Pradeep Gyawali suggested to Minister Mahara to seek settlement of such cases through the proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission rather than withdraw them while the Maoists are in government. He argued that withdrawal of cases would set a bad precedent.
Mahara also refuted reports that the army was being mobilized for the hydro-power project to be built by the Indian GMR company. A group of Maoist cadres had vandalized the GMR office a few weeks ago.
“A team of the Nepal Police had reached there shortly after the incident. Armed Police Force personnel are also being sent there. A decision to deploy the APF has already been made. The army will be deployed only if the police fail to provide security. The army is not being sent there at the moment,” he said.
Most lawmakers taking part in the meeting expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the country. They had particularly drawn the attention of the government to increasing cross-border crime in the Tarai districts and shared their worry that the country could become a ´playground´ for international criminal gangs.
Minister Mahara, while acknowledging that there had been security threats in the bordering districts in the Tarai, said the government is doing its best to curb such activities. He said the government is mulling to hold high-level talks between Nepal and India as talks between local administrations of the two countries in the bordering districts have failed to yield substantive results.
Adding that it is equally important to forge international understanding to curb cross-border crime, Mahara said the government is planning to resume the stalled regular talks with India and China very soon.
Reaffirming Nepal´s committed to curbing any "anti-neighbor" activities on its soil, Mahara said a circular has been sent to security agencies not to allow any elements that are detrimental to the security interests of either immediate neighbor -- India and China. “Both India and China have the same security concerns in Nepal. The government is aware about this fact,” he said.
Lawmakers had expressed concern that businessmen and the public alike in bordering Tarai districts were being subjected to extortion and threats by criminal gangs operating from across the border. Referring to the recent regional security meeting held in Kavre, Minister Mahara said that the government was facing difficulties in ensuring effective law and order due to political protection for criminal gangs.
The SAC has directed Home Minister Mahara to come up with a comprehensive security plan and implement it within 15 days to bolster law and order in the country. The SAC will hold its next meeting on June 28.
Special Task Force to nab Basnet
Home Minister Mahara reiterated that the government is committed to booking the guilty behind the attack on Biratnagar-based journalist Khila Nath Dhakal.
Stating that the government takes the incident seriously, Mahara said they have deputed a special task force to arrest Parshuram Basnet, the prime accused in the attack on the journalist.
He expressed confidence that the culprit would not be able to evade arrest for long. He also urged all not to provide any kind of protection to Basnet, Morang vice-chairman of Youth Association Nepal, the youth wing of the ruling CPN-UML.
So far two persons, Rohit Koirala and Manoj Rai, have been arrested in connection with the incident that occured the night of June 5.
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