UN CHIEF DISCUSSES NEPAL IN INDIA Kathmandu, 28 April: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon discussed Nepal with Indian government leaders during his current India visit. He has held discussions with Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Foreign Minister SM Krishna, among others. Friday was the second day of a three-day visit. “We discussed sustainable development and matters of common interest on peace and security, starting from Syria; the situation in this region—Sri Lanka, Nepal, and also encouraging relationships between India and Pakistan, and also how to help the further democratization of Myanmar,” Ban told reporters after meeting Singh Friday. . “The UNSC thanked India for her engagement Nepal and said that India’s role is important for the successful transition of Nepal to democracy and stability,” Spokesman of Indian External Ministry Syed Akrabuddin was quoted by Mahesh Acharya in The Kathmandu Post from New Delhi. Ban cancelled a visit to Nepal while continuing his India visit. Nnnn PARTIES DIVIDED OVER STATE RESTRUCTURING Kathmandu, 28 April: The major political parties are still at loggerheads over the issue of state restructuring despite stepping up their negotiations on major disputes in the constitution writing, Republica reports. The 10-peovince model that the UCPN (Maoist) proposed at the inter-party talks on Thursday drew widespread criticism from non-Maoist parties. They criticized the Maoists for taking the ethnic identity as the sole basis and overlooking economic viability that was crucial for sustainability of a province. But the seven-province model proposed by Nepali Congress (NC) couldn’t impress other parties either. Leaders from UCPN (Maoist) and Madhes-based parties turned down the NC’s proposal outright at the inter-party talks on Friday. UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal argued during the talks that they would revert to their stance on the 14-province model that was endorsed by the majority members of the CA’s state restructuring committee if other parties were not ready to accept the Maoist’s 10-province model. aoist leaders argued that they floated the new model believing it to be a mid-point. “If you reject our new proposal and come up with other models we will also insist on the 14-province model, which we haven’t officially discarded so far,” a NC leader present during the talks quoted Dahal as saying. NC parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel claimed that his party had to come up with seven-province proposal based on ethnic federalism in breach of the understanding reached during the Hattiban talks. “Today Maoist leaders said that they would revert to the 14-provincee model,” said Paudel. Top leaders from major political parties had reached an understanding on six to seven provinces during the Hattiban talks. Paudel accused the Maoists of trying to further complicating the issue of state restructuring and of not working sincerely to resolve the matter. Also, leaders from Madhes-based parties fiercely criticized the NC’s proposal. Tarai-Madhes Democratic Party (TDMP) leader Hridayes Tripathi termed the NC’s proposal as ‘the most unfavorable model’ for Madhes. Similarly, Chairman of Madhesi People’s Rights Forum-Democratic, Bijay Gachchhadar said the NC’s proposal wasn’t acceptable to all. Meanwhile, top leaders of CPN UML came under fire at the party’s central committee (CC) meeting that was underway till late Friday when they briefed the party’s CC members that the major parties were close to a deal on state restructuring with around seven provinces in the country’s new map. Leaders from ethnic communities including Prithivi Subba Gurung fiercely criticized the party’s top leaders including Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and KP Sharma Oli as they informed the CC members that they are likely to settle the number of provinces at around seven. nnnn NSC LAMA SHUNS NOC ARRANGEMENT AS ROW DEVELOPS BETWEEN TWO SPORTS BODIES Kathmandu, 28 April: As the relation between National Sports Council (NSC) and Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) recognized by International Olympic Committee (IOC) soured, NSC Member Secretary Yuvaraj Lama rejected an arrangement made by NOC to make him attend Regional Forum of national olympic committees of Asia, Nabin, Nabin Khitiwada writes in Republica. . Lama was scheduled to attend the Regional Forum to be held in Malaysia but he shunned the program and only NOC President Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan and member Rabi Rajkarnikar left Kathmandu on Friday to attend the meeting. "I´m not attending NOC´s programs until they maintain transparency. They earlier registered NOC in CDO Office in Doti and lately they have tried to register NOC in Company Registrar Office. They are only creating controversies and I can´t attend their programs until they make them transparent," said Lama. owever, NOC General Secretary Jeevan Ram Shrestha claimed that Lama was never scheduled to attend the Regional Forum. "As the Regional Forum was to discuss solidarity courses and other technical issues, NOC decided to send its president and member," said Shrestha. Shrestha also defended their steps to start a process to register NOC in Company Registrar Office. "There is a legal provision to register non-governmental organization as a non-profit institution at the Company Registrar Office. We thought registering NOC under the Company Registrar Office would give stability to the Olympic movement in the country," claimed Shrestha. "We were not attempting to register NOC as a private company or something else but as a NGO," he added. NOC member Laxman Shrestha also claimed that registering NOC under Company Registrar Office is legal in Nepal and not a new practice in the international scenario. On the other side, NSC Member Secretary Lama accused the current NOC leadership of attempting to seize Olympic movements in Nepal as if its their parental property. "As a NSC leader, I was co-operating with them to take forward Olympic movement in the country despite legal obstacles ,but they took my sincerity as a weakness," said Lama. "They tried to fool me," he added. A NOC member, demanding anonymity, said NOC has taken the step to register it at Company Registrar Office after NSC Member Secretary Lama gave his consent. "Lama had given consent earlier but changed his position after the NOC-NSC relation soured. He started bargaining in an effort to recognize his decision to dissolve committees of different national associations and form new one. NOC could not do that," said the NOC member. The NOC member claimed that NOC leadership also tried to bypass member secretary and establish direct relation with Youth and Sports Minister Kamala Roka and her husband Ganesh Man Pun, an influential leader of UCPN (Maoist). "Recently, NSC had sent a letter to NOC seeking clarification about the latest development but NOC leadership replied to Youth and Sports Ministry instead of responding directly to NSC," said the NOC member. "These incidents soured the relation between NOC and NSC," he claimed. However, Lama denied all the allegations and said that he had not given any consent to register NOC at Company Registrar. "They had come to me with different proposals to seek legal ground for them and I´ve assured them to seek the best possible option but I had never told them to go to Company Registrar," said Lama. "It is now clear that the current NOC leadership explains Olympic Charter for their personal benefits only and they want to capture NOC forever," said Lama. NOC led by Pradhan has been seeking legal ground in the country after Supreme Court gave a verdict to restore NOC led by Rukma Samsher Rana in November 2010. nnnn FORMER MAOIST PLA FIGHTERS INVOLVED IN TRADER ABDUCTION FOR RANSOM Kathmandu, 28 April:: The Metropolitan Police Crime Division today made public three members of a racket involved in the April 8 abduction of Suresh Maharjan (33), a Satungal (Kathmandu)-based businessman, from Butwal, The Himalayan Times reports. With support from Indian police, an MPCD team had rescued Maharjan from a hut in an Indian village close to Banke district on Wednesday. The arrestees are Buddha Tamang (20) of Rasuwa, Ishwar Dahal (20) of Kavre and Milan Sinjali (22) of Makwanpur and Binod Yadav (45) of Uttar Pradesh, who was with Maharjan. Dahal and Sijali are said to be disqualified PLA fighters. Yadav is now in the custody of Indian police. SSP Devendra Subedi, MPCD in-charge, said the criminals had abducted Maharjan (33), who was in Butwal for recreation with his friend Ganesh Sharma, with help from Indian criminals. The gang had called up Maharjan’s wife Anita from India using Indian SIM card and sought ransom payment of Rs 30 million for his ‘safe release’. “The abductors conceded they would have killed Maharjan later in the day as there was a slim chance of getting the money,” SSP Subedi said. Police said Sharma, who used to live at a rented room in Satungal, was the kidnapping mastermind. Inspector Roshan Khadka said Sharma lured Maharjan into going to India promising to make arrangements to buy mobile phone sets at cheaper rates. Sharma is at large. “I was not aware of the kidnapping plot before Sharma and others handed me to some Indians and said they had abducted me for ransom. They held me blindfolded with my hands tied from behind, and threatened to finish me and my family off if I failed to pay Rs 30 million for my freedom,” Maharjan recounted. “My family is not rich enough to pay a hefty sum for my release. They were planning to kill me on Wednesday evening. Fortunately, police raided the house and rescued me,” he added. Officials said seven others, including Sharma and an Indian criminal involved in the abduction, have been absconding. nnnn MAOIST ESTABLIHMENT FORMER 151-MEMBER CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF FORMER PLA FIGHTERS Kathmandu, 28 April:: The establishment side of the Unified CPN-Maoist today [Friday] formed an Ex-PLA Association Nepal under the leadership of former PLA commander Nanda Kishor Pun, Tika R. Pradhan Writes in The HImalayan Times. . On April 24, the rival faction of the party had reconstituted a ‘defunct’ outfit — People’s Volunteers Bureau — under the leadership of Maoist standing committee member Netra Bikram Chand. Today’s gathering of the establishment side elected a 151-member central committee. Former commander Barshaman Pun, now finance minister, has been chosen to lead EPAN. Former deputy commander Chandra Prakash Khanal will be the spokesperson. The CC will include former division commanders to brigade deputy commanders and will incorporate all the former PLA members opting to retire, unverified combatants and those who had joined YCL from PLA. The rival faction of the Maoist party has formed a 17-member central committee of PVB to do necessary preparations for what they call people’s revolt. The rival faction claims that people’s revolt is the official line of the party. Khanal today said the newly formed association will basically focus on production and development activities. “EPAN will have a command structure resembling ex-PLA, but it will certainly not have the military structure,” said Khanal. Addressing today’s gathering, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who used to be the supreme commander of the now dissolved PLA, reminded the former fighters that it was ideology that helped them accumulate arms (during war). “If we follow a correct ideology, we can obtain what we want,” said Dahal. “Arms and armies were only the means, not the end. It’s the ideology that reigns supreme.” Nnnn NTA TO DISCOURAGE FREQUENCY HOARDING Kathmandu, 28 April:: Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) said that it will discourage the trend of frequency hoarding in the new merger and acquisition policy, The Himalayan Times writes. The concerned companies should surrender their extra frequency after six months of a merger according to the policy enacted by Radio Frequency Determinism Committee under the Ministry of Information and Communications, said spokesperson of the authority Kailash Prasad Neupane. As per the frequency distribution and pricing policy endorsed by the 14th meeting of the Radio Frequency Determinism Committee last year, operators, based on their subscriber base and uses of the frequency, are liable to pay 0.7 percent of total annual income as frequency fee annually. The committee has fixed Rs 7 million for a MHz spectrum for extra spectrum being hoarded or spectrum that are not in use by operators. The merger and acquisition policy will make service providers liable to surrender extra frequency since frequency is limited and considered a natural resource, said Neupane. NTA had formed a committee led by former secretary Madhav Paudel to prepare a report on the possibility of mergers and acquisitions. The committee has suggested including procedure conditions for mergers after studying contemporary global trends of mergers and acquisitions. nnnn