Nepal's 9 parties issue statement as court opens way for PM Prachanda's criminal trial

Nepals nine political parties have voiced concern about the issues that have recently been raised over the transitional justice process, days after the apex court ordered to register writ petitions against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda for claiming responsibility for 5,000 deaths during the insurgency.Our serious attention has been drawn over the issues raised in the transitional justice process recently, said a joint statement issued by the parties, without referring to the apex court order.We are committed to concluding the transitional justice process as per the spirit of the constitution and the Comprehensive Peace Accord.

Nepal's nine political parties have voiced concern about the issues that have recently been raised over the transitional justice process, days after the apex court ordered to register writ petitions against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ''Prachanda'' for claiming responsibility for 5,000 deaths during the insurgency.

''Our serious attention has been drawn over the issues raised in the transitional justice process recently," said a joint statement issued by the parties, without referring to the apex court order.

''We are committed to concluding the transitional justice process as per the spirit of the constitution and the Comprehensive Peace Accord. Remaining tasks related to the revision of the law related to it will be completed soon,'' the statement added.

A bill to this end, and in line with previous Supreme Court orders, will be tabled at the ongoing session of the federal parliament, it added.

The parties' meeting that was initially called to discuss the presidential election was dominated by the apex court's order. The parties in the newly formed alliance are the Nepali Congress, the CPN (Maoist Centre), the Janata Samajbadi Party, the CPN (Unified Socialist), the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, the Nagarik Unmukti Party, the Janamat Party, the Rastriya Janamorcha and the Nepal Samajbadi Party.

The alliance's meeting was held hours after Prachanda's party, and some leaders of the Maoist Centre as well as ex-Maoist leaders, strongly criticised the Supreme Court's order to register writ petitions against Prachanda.

On January 15, 2020, CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Prachanda had said that as the leader of the Maoist party that led the decade-long insurgency, he would take the responsibility for the deaths of 5,000 people and that the state should take responsibility for the remaining deaths.

''I am accused of killing 17,000 people, which is not true. However, I am ready to take the responsibility of killing 5,000 people during the conflict,'' Prachanda said while addressing a Maghi festival celebration event in Kathmandu. He added that the rest of the 12,000 were killed by the feudal regime.

Advocates Gyanendra Aaran and Kalyan Budhathoki, who are also conflict victims, filed separate writ petitions at the Supreme Court demanding that Prachanda be investigated and prosecuted for his statement.

The administration, however, in November last year refused to register them, claiming that the issue was related to transitional justice and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was dealing with the cases.

On Friday, the Supreme Court ordered its administration to register writ petitions against 'Prachanda' for claiming responsibility for 5,000 deaths during the insurgency.

Due to busy schedules and lack of manpower, the case could not be registered on Sunday and it is likely that the same would be registered after the Holi festival which falls here on Monday.

The court administration handed over the decision only on Sunday evening, The Kathmandu Post reported, quoting advocate Aran.

''We will register the petition on Tuesday as Monday is a public holiday on the occasion of Holi,'' Aran told the paper.

The rebellion that started on February 13, 1996 officially came to an end after a Comprehensive Peace Agreement was reached with then government on November 21, 2006.

It is estimated that around 17,000 people lost their lives during the decade-long insurgency. Prachanda waged the armed conflict for a decade in the name of 'People's War'.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)