Communist leader's murder hits Nepal's peace process

Kathmandu (IANS)- The murder of a communist leader hit Nepal's peace process with a key meeting Saturday among the three top parties, that could have paved the way for a new government, being put off.

Chhabi Karki, a leader of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) in Okhaldhunga, a remote district in eastern Nepal, was stabbed to death by an unidentified gang in his home district Thursday, triggering protests by his party.

"We strongly believe the Maoists are responsible for the murder," UML leader Yubaraj Gyawali told IANS. "Our party decided to cancel the meeting today (Saturday) to pay last respects to Karki at a public programme in Kathmandu."

Gyawali said the killing would have indirect bearings on the negotiations going on between his party, the Maoists and the third major party, the Nepali Congress (NC), to form a new government.

Tuesday is the extended deadline given by the President, Dr Ram Baran Yadav for an all-party government.

While the Maoists, who emerged as Nepal's biggest party after the 2008 elections, are trying to form the next government under their leadership, the other parties however are wary of supporting them, saying the former guerrillas have not given up violence though they signed a peace accord four years ago.

The Maoists have denied having a hand in Karki's killing but the parties are not ready to believe them.

The three-party meeting, now deferred to Sunday, is important because the Maoists have said they would announce their new time-table for the peace process at the meet for the approval of the other parties.

As a confidence-building measure, the former guerrillas also said they are ready to dismantle their youth wing, the Young Communist League, which is regarded as being their paramilitary organisation.

The Maoists have also drawn up a plan to dismantle their guerrilla army, which has over 19,000 combatants, including a large number of women.

According to the proposal, a special committee should ask the fighters whether they want to join the state army or be discharged and rehabilitated.

The Maoists are proposing that each discharged guerrilla be given NRs.1 million to start a new life. Those who want to join the army should be inducted as per international recruitment norms.

In case the army is unwilling to accept its former bête noire, the guerrillas, in their midst, the Maoists have proposed the creation of separate units within the security forces comprising solely of Maoist combatants.

Nepal is rapidly running out of time.

With a crisis of confidence prevailing among the parties, it is now unlikely that they will be able to name a new prime minister, supported by all 25 parliamentary parties, by Tuesday.

They failed to implement a new constitution in May that was to have been the centrepiece of the peace accord.

Now the extended statute deadline of May 2011 also seems doomed to fail. Though nearly 45 days have gone since the extension was granted by parliament, the parties have failed to resume work on the new constitution, thanks to the protracted squabble over power-sharing.