Religious communities urge govt., Maoists to declare ceasefire

A gathering of major religious communities in Nepal has called upon both the government and Maoist insurgents to declare ceasefire and resume stalled peace process.

Inter-Religious Peace Committee (IPC) Nepal, an initiative to promote cooperation and understanding between various faiths in the country—has called upon all to work for the peaceful resolution of the nine-year-old armed conflict.

A meeting of the IPC, chaired by its president Achyut Raj Regmi, at the Dilliraman Kalyani Regmi memorial library at Lazimpat last week said it would support any effort by any one to fight the widespread and institutionalized corruption in the Nepali society. Saying that freedom of expression is the heart and spirit of democracy, the IPC appealed to the government and the Maoists to stop their attack on the media. The Committee also asked the Maoists to make public their policy with regard to freedom of speech, human rights and religious freedom. The IPC appealed to all concerned to involve the religious communities in the peace process to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

The Inter-Religious Peace Committee also appealed to members of all religious communities to help thousands of children, women, widows, and orphans affected and displaced by the conflict. The Committee expressed its solidarity with the efforts of the civil societies to keep the schools and children in insurgency affected areas as peace zone.

The IPC members felt that the policy of fighting gun with gun and seeking blood for blood was not only mistaken, but also inappropriate. The Committee appealed to the concerned parties to resolve the crisis by political means through dialogue and understanding. The IPC also appealed the United Nations and the international community to play a constructive role to resolve the crisis and establish lasting peace. nepalnews.com by July 29 05