NEPAL PLAYS PALESTINE IN AFC CHALLENGE CUP GROUP D QUALIFIER Kathmandu, 6 March: Nepal plays Palestine in the AFC Challenge Cup Group D Qualifiers in the Nepalese capital Wednesday. Hosts take on the strongest peak in the group—Palestine has won both its outings collecting 6 points. Nepal and Bangladesh with one each have gathers three points each. North Mariana Island is already of the tournament with two losses. Nepal has to win with at three goal difference to qualify for the next stage of the tournament being hosted by Maldives. Bangladesh and North Mariana Island play Wednesday in the first of two matches. Meanwhile, Boys Union , an old Kathmandu Tuesday moved to A division after emerging on top of the B Division Martyrs Memorial league tournament in the capital. The club was relegated to B division June 2010. Nnnn TORTURE FORCES CHIILDREN TO FLEE SCHOOL Kathmandu, 6 March: As many as 68 students — fourth to seventh graders — last night fled Bal Mandir School in Lumle allegedly after physical and mental torture meted out to them by the school principal and teachers became unbearable, Bibhu Bhusal writes in The Himalayan Times from Pokhara. . The incident paints a bleak picture: Children whose right to education has been enshrined in the constitution are forced to run away from the school for the fear of torture from their teachers. Bal Mandir School is a proposed secondary school and is located on the premises of Agriculture Research Centre in Lumle. The children allege that they have undergone the torment for the last three years. After fleeing the school hostel, they spent last night at the guest house of Town Development Training Centre in Nadipur. The incident came to light only after all the 68 children, including 18 girls, accompanied by hostel warden Krishna Prasad Tiwari, approached the local administration in Pokhara. They wanted to reach Pokhara yesterday itself but could not do so, as they were prevented by the school management and locals of Lumle from leaving. Guardians of some students from Pokhara and surrounding areas later reached Lumle and brought them to Pokhara. “Some hooligans from Pokhara had tried to prevent us from leaving,” said Rojina Tamang, a seventh grader, from Chitwan. “They also threatened to kill Tiwari sir. They searched for him the whole day; we had to hide him in the Lumle jungle. He later reached Pokhara at 11pm,” she added. Guardians of other kids, after learning the students have fled the school, reached Pokhara this morning. School Principal Dayaram Subedi and some teachers tried to persuade the students to return to the school, but the children would not oblige. Sujata Chalise from Baglung alleged that they treated them unfairly. “They would even call us khate,” added Chalise who has been studying in the school with government scholarship. Khate is a derogatory term often used by some for the street children. Balika Pun from Rolpa said the children were left with no option but to escape. “Principal sir and teachers mistreated us and would tease and verbally abuse us,” she said. Warden Tiwari said the students would not return until action was taken against Principal Subedi and other teachers. The incident has put the guardians in a fix — whether to take their wards home or send them back to the school. Nityananda Chaudhary from Kapilvastu said it was sheer negligence on the part of officials from the District Education Office. DEO Chief Chandrakanta Bhusal said efforts were being made to address the issue, but Principal Subedi argued that the entire episode was staged to defame the institution. “The warden and some guardians are involved in hatching this plot,” he alleged. The school was established about 38 years ago. A total of 71 students from 22 districts have been studying in the school, which runs classes for fourth to seventh graders. Three other students are from Lumle itself. Nnnn LEADERS AGREE ON CITIZENSHIP, VOTERS LIST Kathmandu, 6 March: After agreeing in principle on two most contentious issues pertaining to citizenship certificate and voters’ list update, the four major political forces today said they were hopeful about settling yet another thorny issue — terms and conditions for the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission — tomorrow, and striking a deal to pave the way for the appointment of Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi as the new government head as soon as possible, The Himalayan Times reports.. Leaders of the four major forces — the Unified CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the United Democratic Madhesi Front — told reporters that today’s talks ended on a positive note and that they were hopeful of striking a deal tomorrow. But multiple sources told this daily that a deal depends on whether the parties reach an agreement on TRC issues. Leaders claimed that they would appoint CJ Regmi the chairman of an election government in a couple of days after removing constitutional hurdles by making the President use Article 158 of the Interim Constitution and not by amending it. “Today’s meeting of the four forces agreed, in principle, to update voters’ list and issue citizenship certificate to the siblings of all those who have obtained their citizenship by birth,” NC leader Bimalendra Nidhi told The Himalayan Times. “The meeting agreed to update voters’ list on the basis of the list that was used in 2008 Constituent Assembly election and make necessary provisions to include those who reached 18 years of age by April 12, 2012, but are yet to get citizenship certificates.” UCPN-M Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the new provisions would be made after studying a Supreme Court verdict on the issue. Opposition parties wanted to seal the deal today itself by keeping the TRC issue open for discussion so that possibility of election in June remains intact, but Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai did not show flexibility, according to NC leader Minendra Rijal. “As the TRC is not directly related to the election, we wanted to deal with it later, after clearing all the hurdles for June polls,” said Rijal. “But the prime minister rejected the idea saying there should be an agreement on TRC and rank determination (for ex-Maoist fighters in the army) as well. This has created doubt whether the prime minister wants June polls not to happen so as to prolong his stay in the government.” Earlier in the morning, a meeting of the eight-member taskforce formed by the four forces had prepared a draft of the deal, leaving all the thorny issues for the top leaders to settle. nnnn