Delicate Process
EVER since the government and the Maoists agreed to go for a cease-fire on January 29, the
hopes are high that this cease-fire could be translated into a permanent peace. But peace
does not come easily to any country that has been wracked by years of violence. Peace
process is a delicate thing. Those working for peace have a lot of responsibilities on
their shoulders to ensure that the peace process does not get disturbed by any factor and
that everybody chip in their best from their respective quarters to give a push to the
process. Peace process, at the same time, is not a time-bound project whereby at a certain
date goods are delivered. Mountains of patience and a willingness to listen to the other
side are prerequisites to get the peace process anywhere near success. Hence, the present
cease-fire is only a first step in a long flight of steps towards a permanent peace. From
what the Coordinator of the government side Minister for Works and Physical Planning
Narayan Singh Pun told a gathering Wednesday, the two sides are moving forward steadily
but surely. There are plans to first have goodwill talks by mid-March to create a
conductive environment for the peace talks. This is in line with the thinking that even
before the real talks start, it is essential that preparatory talks are held. These talks
next month would surely focus on enhancing trust and environment for the talks. No peace
has been achieved overnight anywhere in the world after a protracted conflict as the one
that Nepal has experienced. A delicate and complicated process that it is, the leitmotiv
in pursuing peace should be relentlessness in sticking to talks in a sure-footed manner,
without trying to make leaps.
At the same time, as the peace that was so elusive all these
years has all of the Nepalese as stakeholders, it is important that everybody join in to
support it. Here, the role and significance of political parties contributing to the
process is unquestioned. But Mr. Pun certainly had a point when he asked why the political
parties had refused to participate in the all-party meet called by the government last
week when the essential agenda of that meeting was to discuss the role of political
parties in the very peace process that the latter had long been urging the government to
start. With the code of conduct for the peace talks expected within a few weeks, a further
momentum to the peace process could be envisaged not in the distant future. As this
delicate process progresses in the coming months, the political parties must join hands
with the government to make sure that the current cease-fire translates into lasting
peace.
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