SIX PERSONS ARESTED FOR POSSIBLE LINKS WITH BLOODY BABAR MAHAL BOMBING

SIX PERSONS ARRESTED FOR POSSIBLE LINKS WITH BABAR MAHAL BOMBING

Kathmandu, 4 March: Six persons have been arrested Saturday for possible
involvement in last week’s worst capital bombing in front of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) Babar Mahal, News 24 said quoting police in its morning news bulletin Sunday.;.
Three were killed and 11 injured in the remote-controlled explosion.
United Ethnic Liberation Front Nepal (UELFN) claimed responsibility.
A large cache of gelatin has been recovered the television network said.
Army, police deserters were among the arrested, the report said..
Home Ministry has formed a four-member probe committee headed by DIG Upendra Kanta Aryal to probe the bombing.
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OPPOSITION MOUNTS AGAINST GACHCHHADAR IN MPRF-D
Kathmandu, 4 March : In a major challenge to Chairman of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) and Home Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar within his own party, 16 lawmakers have signed a petition demanding an immediate meeting of the parliamentary party, Gani Ansari writes in Republica.

A majority of the party´s lawmakers (16 out of 28) are preparing to register the motion at the parliamentary party office on Sunday, demanding a meeting of the parliamentary party.

Influential leaders of the party including Sharat Singh Bhandari, Pramod Gupta, Sarba Dev Ojha, Dr Tilak Rawal and Om Prakash Yadav have taken the initiative to challenge Gachchhadar.

Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Mohammed Wakil Musalman is also among lawmakers who have signed the petition.

Yadav, who is also a party whip, said that they have demanded a parliamentary party meeting to ask the leadership about the party´s stance on Madhesi issues, including federalism, that were incorporated in the four-point agreement reached with the Maoists.

“We´ll ask the chairman about his position on ´One Madhes, one state´ and the citizenship question, among other Madhesi issues raised by the party,” Yadav told Republica.
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Addressing a function in Nepalgunj a few days ago, Gachchhadar had said that Tharuhat and ´One Madhes, one state´ were not possible.

Yadav stated that they would go for a motion of no-confidence against the party chairman if he did not move forward on the Madhesi issues.

Lawmaker Gupta, said that they would raise the party policy regarding ´one man one post´ as Gachchhadar has been holding the home and defense portfolios, is leader of the parliamentary party and is party chairman as well.

Gachchhadar has been holding the defense portfolio since Sharat Singh Bhandari resigned from the post in October following his controversial remarks concerning national integrity.

Ojha, who is currently out of the Valley, has faxed his signature for the petition.

“We lawmakers are under intense pressure from the people and party cadres as they have been saying, either move forward on the Madhesi issues or quit the government,” stated Ojha, adding, “We won´t attend the House meetings if the party leadership remains indifferent over the Madhesi cause.”

The lawmakers have accused the party leadership of power-mongering rather than working for the Madhesi cause.

The party has to call a meeting of the parliamentary party within 15 days if 25 percent of the party´s lawmakers demand such a meeting.



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GOVT. UNDER FIRE FOR WITHDRAWING CRIMINAL CHARGES
Kathmandu, 4 March: Two main opposition parties -- Nepali Congress and CPN-UML -- have taken strong exception to the government move to withdraw criminal cases involving 349 individuals, Republica rports.

The parties have said there should be a detailed study of the cases concerned and consensus among parties if the government wants to revoke some ´political cases´ involving party leaders.

NC leader Arjun Narsingh KC said the government´s decision to withdraw criminal cases is the "height of lawlessness and impunity". "Maoist-led government has tried to politicize the criminal cases. This is objectionable,” he said.

KC also said NC denounces the government move to withdraw criminal cases. “We strongly condemn the government´s decision to withdraw cases that are not of political nature,” he said. “We will protest against such decisions.”
• Govt Drops Criminal Cases Against 349
Acting on three different proposals from the Ministry of Law and Justice including one dating back to the time of the Jhalanath Khanal government, the cabinet meeting on February 27 withdrew the criminal cases involving 349 individuals. The cases are sub judice at different courts.

UML leader and former Home Minister Bhim Rawal said the government cannot withdraw criminal cases.

“Supreme Court has already given a verdict not to withdraw such cases and the National Human Rights Commission has also directed the government not to make decisions. It would be a blatant violation of rule of law if the government withdrew such cases,” he further said.

Rawal informed that NC and UML have raised the issues during three-party meeting not to withdraw criminal cases from the cabinet.

“Existing laws do not allow the government to withdraw such cases. If there are any political cases, there should be a detailed study of the cases concerned and the parties should arrive at a consensus to withdraw such cases,” he added.
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PM BHATTARAI WRAPS FORMER KING
Kathmandu, 4 March: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has clearly stated that the post of brigadier general for Maoist combatants in army integration is not the bottom line of the Maoist party, The Himalayan Times reports..

Talking to a team of journalists led by Rishi Dhamala, chairman of Reporters Club, in the Capital today, Prime Minister Bhattarai said he is ready to move ahead with the integration process in line with the seven-point pact.

He further said the demand of brigadier general is not his party’s bottom line, adding the peace process does not stop even if this demand remains unfulfilled.

He said that the peace process will conclude once a consensus is forged on one-two technical issues and claimed that the peace process has taken a significant pace during his leadership which Nepali people did not witness in the past four years.

He said the peace, constitution and a consensus government are interdependent and added that a unity government will be in place once the integration process concludes.

“Being the largest party, peace and constitution drafting process will move ahead smoothly if the consensus government is formed under his party” he said.

He informed that the peace process will conclude within one-two weeks if the parties presented themselves responsible, and informed that the effort on formation of a consensus government is underway.

On a different note, Prime Minister rapped former king Gyanendra Shah for conspiring through backdoor to disrupt the peace and constitution drafting processes, which, he said, does not bode well for the country’s future.

He also called for unity among democrats and leftists to thwart such conspiracy being hatched by the regressive forces.
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SECURITYOF INVESTMENTS TOPS AGENDA IN NEW DELHI MEET
Kathmandu, 4 March: Indian parliamentarians and leaders today [Saturday] raised the issue of security for Indian investment in Nepal in the first Nepal-India Parliamentary Forum meeting organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry here in New Delhi, The Himalayan Times reports fro New Delhi..

UML leader Pradip Gyawali said the Indian participants were of the view that if Indian investors continued to face security problems in Nepal even after the signing of Business Promotion and Protection Agreement, then both countries could do projects jointly.

Indian participants cited the case of GMR Group, whose power project office in Dailekh district was vandalised in May last year. The group is developing 900 MW Upper Karnali Hydro Project.

Indian participants said India being the bigger neighbour should play a role in overall development of the Himalayan nation, giving emphasis to trade and economic cooperation.

Indian participant KC Tyagi who is also General Secretary of Janata Dal (U) told this daily that there was no reservation among Indian leaders about revision of the 1950 treaty.

“On all major bilateral issues, we spoke in one voice but on the issue of federalism, we were divided as we spoke along our parties’ lines,” Gyawali said. He said he told the meeting that if Pancheswor project could be expedited, it would be more beneficial for Nepal and could even serve as a model for hydro power cooperation between the two countries.

Talking to journalists on the sidelines of the meeting, Indian State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla said a peaceful and stable Nepal was also in the interest of India

and therefore his country was ready to help in all possible manner. He said India

could greatly help in Nepal’s trade and education sectors.

Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Nepal Chair Upendra

Yadav said an accommodative attitude taking care of India’s security interest while fully respecting Nepal’s

sovereignty, was the only way to put Nepal-India relations on a sound footing. “Actually Nepal should not allow its territory to be used against any of its neighbours. It is essential to examine future prospects of Nepal-India relations from strategic economic perspective,” reads a written statement he delivered at the closed door meeting.

Both sides also shared their experience of federalism. Tyagi said the inherent flaws of Indian federalism, which allows the centre to dismiss elected state governments ought to be avoided in Nepal. “Nepal’s constitution should not repeat the mistake of our constitution. Some states have been locked in bitter water disputes since independence, Nepal should avoid such scenario,” Tyagi said adding, “it is imperative for a

statute to take into account the interests of all stakeholders, particularly the minorities.

Talking to journalists on the sidelines, UCPN-M participant Krishna Bahadur Mahara said his party was committed to peace and democracy and trust deficit between his party and India had been narrowed down. “It is not only India but the entire International community that had doubts about our party in the past, but we have been able to remove them.”
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