BAJURA HOUSE COLLAPSE AND STORM KILLS FOUR Kathmandu, 1 June: Four persons were killed in house collapses at Piapaldadi of Badhu VDC in Bajura district Thursday night. Kala Sarki, 36, Karishma Sarki, 14, Lokraj Sarki, 12 and Dipendra Lohar, 3. were killed in the storm and collapse. Two others were injured. Nnnn MADHAV KUMAR NEPAL, PRESIDENT DISCUSSIONS Kathmandu, 1 June: UML Chairman and Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal held discussions with President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav in the current political situation. Nepal briefed the president on the political crisis following call for 22 November CA elections and dissolution of the assembly. nnnn JUSTICE BAM’S MURDER DRAWS WIDESPREAD CONDEMNATION Kathmandu, 1 June: Various political parties and human rights organisations have condemned the killing of Supreme Court Justice Rana Bahadur Bam on Thursday, The Kathmandu Post reports. They have asked the government to bring the perpetrators to book to ensure people’s security and end impunity in the country. Nepali Congress (NC) in a statement said that it was shocked by the murder of Justice Bam. The NC said that the barbaric attack is a direct indication of lax security system and has threatened the independent judiciary. Asking the government to leave no stone unturned to bring the culprits to book, the NC wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. Similarly, in separate statements, the CPN-UML and the Rastriya Prajantantra Party have condemned the murder and expressed condolences to the bereaved family. The National Human Rights Commission has expressed deep concern over the killing of Justice Bam and demanded the culprits be brought to justice. It has asked the government to be serious about the security of its citizens. The Nepal Bar Association has stated that the murder of Justice Bam is an attack on the entire judicial community and it has challenged the security system of the country. Likewise, the Human Rights Peace Society, National Human Rights Foundation, National Human Rights Concern Centre and INSEC have expressed deep concern over the murder and urged the government to ensure people’s security. Likewise, the Constitutional and Judicial Journalists’ Forum has deplored the attack and has asked the government to remain vigilant against attack on the judiciary. Justice Bam had succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment while his friend Ramji Giri and bodyguard Mahesh Giri were critically injured when unidentified gunmen shot at them near the crematory at UN Park, Lalitpur. Masked men attacked Bam: Witness A witness to the incident, Rajendra Tandukar, claims to have heard the gunshots that sounded like firecrackers just outside his timber factory. As few locals rushed towards the crime site, he saw Justice Rana Bahadur Bam, his friend Ram Giri and Bam’s personal security officer Mahesh Giri crying for help. Tandukar says that two masked shooters in black outfit fled the scene in a red Pulsar bike after the attack. After the shooting, Bam, his friend Giri and Mahesh sprinted almost ten meters from their car where the shooting occurred. Justice Bam and Mahesh crashed on the street, where Bam fell unconscious. Immediately after the shooting, Bam’s driver abandoned the car and fled away. The side window of the car was busted as the gun shots had been fired from there. After 10 minutes, locals brought a taxi to take the victims to hospital. The bodyguard whose neck was profusely bleeding pleaded to take the justice to the hospital first. Tandukar then knew the victim shot was a justice and loaded him first in a taxi and assigned his uncle to take the victim to Norvic. nnnn. PM TELLS SUPREME COURT NOT TO INTERFERE Kathmandu, 1 June: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Thursday said it is not appropriate for the "honourable (Supreme) court" to "interfere" in matters of the parliament, Pranab Khanal writes in The Kathmandu Post.. Bhattarai and the then Law Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula on Thursday furnished clarification to the Supreme Court on their move to register a bill seeking a three-month term extension of the Constituent Assembly. The duo was responding to a May 24 court summon that had asked them to be present in person within seven days of receiving the court order in an application filed for contempt of court. Advocate Kamal Prasad Itani had moved the court on May 23, saying that the move to register the bill was against the constitutional provisions and that it violated the apex court's previous verdict that granted the assembly a final extension. In his clarification, Bhattarai argued that "a mere decision of the government to register any bill in the legislature-parliament cannot be termed contempt of court." He said no one can challenge a government-initiated bill and term it unconstitutional before it is passed by the House. The clarification also said "it is not appropriate for the honourable court to interfere in the aforementioned procedure." With regard to the applicant's claim that the government move violated Article 116 of the Interim Constitution that states all should abide by the order of the courts, Bhattarai argued that the government, by declaring elections for a new CA, has upheld the judgment of the court issued on November 25, 2011 that granted a final extension of the CA. The government had then challenged the decision. However, the apex court had rejected the review application and the court had later upheld its earlier verdict. The apex court had further said that should the CA fail to promulgate a new consitution within the May 27 deadline, the government could go for three alternatives--fresh CA elections being one. Another defendant Sitaula argued that the decision of the government to register the bill came after pressure from various communities mounted and after it was felt that the constitution could no to be promulgated within the deadline. Sitaula argued that since the CA has been dissolved as per the apex court's November. nnnn UML NOT TO JOIN MAOIST-LED GOVT. Kathmandu, 1 June:: The CPN-UML Thursday decided not to join the current Maoist-led government. It demanded a national unity government to end the ongoing political and constitutional crises of the country, The Rising Nepal reports. Speaking at a press meet organized by UML at the party central office at Balkhu after a meeting of the party’s standing committee, the leaders said that the current government had only the status of a caretaker and demanded he should pave the way to form a consensus government. The UML also said that the party would continue pleading for a consensus politics. UML chairman Jhalanath Khanal said that the UML and NC were trying to extend the Constituent Assembly (CA) tenure by following a legitimate procedure, but Maoists dissolved the CA to establish a one-party political system. He said that the UML would start unmasking the reality of Maoists through different protest programmes across the country and stressed that national consensus was the demand of the nation. He said that national unity among the parties was essential to resolve the ongoing political deadlock and clarified that the UML would never join in the current government. He charged that the government was moving ahead with the aim to create a political crisis and instigate conflict. Khanal said, "The government has no political and constitution legality. If the government is not ready to pave the way, all political forces will jointly start protests against the government." The Maoists were trying to put the nation under the shadow and run it without a constitution, he said. UML leader KP Oli said that the prime minister had no right to resign and added, "The caretaker government is not there to give the resignation. As a caretaker prime minister, he should support the parties to form a national consensus government." The UML charged that the Maoists cheated the Nepalese people and added that the UML would never accept any proposal against the democratic justice to people. The party was clear about the need of national unity and national consensus and was ready to continue with consensus politics, UML leader Pradip Gyawali said. The party had tried to establish federalism but Maoists obstructed its moves towards establishing a democratic federal setup in Nepal through the new constitution, he said. The party also stressed that the UML was clear about state restructuring, names for provinces and their numbers in the federal and republican democracy. UML said that the party was not ready to destroy the ethnic-based unity and caste-based harmony of the Nepalese society. Democracy, people’s mobilization, human rights, social security, identity and capacity based federal system, national unity and press freedom were the guidelines of UML, Gyawali said. The UML said that the country was in a critical situation and urged all people to stand in favour of institutionalizing democracy, republic and federal system for Nepal. Nnnn MINISTER PUN HOLDS PRE-BUDGET TALKS Kathmandu, 1 June: Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun on Thursday said that the budget of the next fiscal year 2012/13 will be brought with consensus of all the political parties, The Rising Nepal reports. Organising a press meet at the Finance Ministry, Minister Pun said that the government was effortful in forging consensus among the political parties as there is no parliament at present. The Finance Minister made such remarks one day after he held discussions with the leaders of the business community. The leaders of the business community had suggested that the government should move ahead through forging consensus among the political parties on economic agendas. Minister Pun said budget will be brought by discussing with the in-charges of the major parties looking after economic sector. He said that the country’s overall economy was heading towards positive direction and a better environment for investment was being created. The government would be effortful in bringing the economy on a right track, he added. He informed that Rs. 190 billion of revenue was collected as of April 2012. The amount is 98.62 per cent of the target. The government’s expenditure is Rs. 190.42 billion which is 49.47 per cent of the appropriated amount. He further said that the government is serious about minimising the impact of the present political uncertainty on the national economy. "Through its budgetary measures, the government will encourage the private sector by creating a more investment-friendly environment in the country," he said. nnnn