Reciprocity
Wanted
WHEN the government prohibited
demonstrations, rallies and public meetings over the weekend, it was
purely out of compulsion. The real fears of violence in connection with
the mass meeting by Maoists planned for this Friday had led the government
to impose a ban on public meetings. As the government’s first and
foremost duty is to maintain law and order it was but natural that it saw
it fit to issue prohibitory orders under the prevailing laws than allow
possibly violence-prone groups of people to do what they like in the name
of mass meetings and rallies. Notwithstanding some noises of protest from
some politicians over this ban, the public welcomed the move and the
eventual withdrawal by Maoists of the mass meeting for which tens of
thousands of people were being mobilised. Plans for such an unnecessarily
huge gathering in the heart of the capital even as peace talks have been
underway had created a sense of dread and terror in the minds of the
general public. There were reports of many schools and other public
facilities being used by the Maoist organisers to house people ferried in
from outside the Valley, resulting in possible disruption of normal life
in the Valley. If not for this prohibitory order from the government, a
huge gathering of people and possible mob violence in Kathmandu would be
staring at us tomorrow.
Now that the threat of such
violence resulting from such a gathering has passed, the government has
seen it prudent to lift the ban on public meetings. Home Minister Khum
Bahadur Khadka informed the House of Representatives Tuesday that in view
of the law and order situation in the Kathmandu Valley returning to normal
Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur chief district officers were notified of
the lifting of the ban from Tuesday afternoon. The imposition of the ban
and its lifting as soon as the law and order situation improved
demonstrates that the government does not enjoy issuing prohibitory orders
on peaceful rallies and mass meetings. It is only when it is faced with no
option in the face of possibilities of public peace being disturbed that
it has to go for some stringent measures. The government is doing all it
can to avoid disrupting the peace talks by any action on its part. Release
of some 40 Maoist workers from jails on Tuesday was another step that the
government took as a further gesture to add to the conducive atmosphere
for the talks despite the unabated extortion and violence from the
Maoists. It is up to the Maoists now to reciprocate and avoid situations
where the government is forced to bring in prohibitory orders on public
meetings.
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