Call To Stop Violence
IT IS over four years that
the Maoists initiated their so-called 'people's war' that unleashed a spree of violence
and which has engulfed some districts of the country especially in the mid and far western
regions. The loss of life and property has been enormous and this has led to a lot of
concern being raised from among all quarters. It has been reported that over 1,200 people
including policemen, Maoists and civilians have been killed and hundreds other injured in
the seemingly futile exercise of violence. It may be recalled that the Maoists' spate of
violence has not spared even the innocent children, the latest being the Jajarkot
incident. The elected government, which is duty bound to maintain law and order throughout
the nation and to protect the life and property of the citizens, is also sensitive to the
Maoist problem. But till date, no viable solution has yet emerged. The government's offer
to the Maoists to sit down at the table to sort out the problem has not received any
positive response. Instead the violence being periodically perpetrated by the Maoists has
become unbearable. Though initiatives have been made by the Maoist Problem Resolution High
Level Committee headed by former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba by trying to forge a
consensus on the issue among the political parties, so far no tangible solution has
emerged. Unless the Maoists come forth with their version and agree for talks by
renouncing violence no headway can be made in solving the problem. In the background of
the grave problem, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who has made the maintenance of
law and order a top priority, said the other day that the Maoists must immediately stop
the heinous crime of killing unarmed, helpless and humble people. He stressed on the fact
that the Maoists must come to dialogue to find a solution to the problem. The killing of
poor farmers, teachers and political workers in the villages cannot augur well in the
interest of the country. The government's commitment to usher peace in the Maoist affected
areas is commendable but the insurgents have not relented with their acts of violence as
is seen by the recent incident in Jajarkot where quite a number of police personnel and
villagers including some children were killed. In view of the increase in the spate of
Maoist-initiated violence, it is urgent that a solution be found to resolve the problem
whereby peace can return in the affected districts and development activities can pick up
pace.
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