The Ceasefire Declaration
Opportunity Is At Hand

By Prem N. Kakkar

WHAT could be called a major initiative, the CPN (Maoist) has declared an immediate ceasefire. That was what the country needed at this juncture. In the almost seven year period since violence erupted all of a sudden, there has been no rest. The very fact that the government is sensitive to the problem is that the ceasefire has come about.

Solution

It is, however, too early to say what directions the country moves ahead in the days to come. One thing is clear that the Maoists too want a solution from the impasse of the past. That they have agreed to sit for talks comes as a welcome piece of news on the basis of the fact that certain conditions have been fulfilled by the government.

The tasks that the present government was entrusted with included the restoration of law and order and holding the general elections at the earliest. It is a challenging job but the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has shown that it is committed to doing its job. Everything takes time and overnight miracles are not possible. Much deliberations and home work has to be done to rid the country of the violence and other anomalies.

It comes as a sigh of relief that the ceasefire has been announced. Now there seems a definite direction for the return of peace to the country and the suffering people. That understanding has dawned is a positive signal in times that uncertainty was there. This opportunity must be tapped by all concerned so that the country does not suffer further.

Nepal, already at the bottom rung of the nations in terms of development, needs peace now than ever before to raise itself out of the vicious circle of poverty.

The government has shown itself very liberal to find a solution to come out of the present difficult situation. By the decision to withdraw the label of terrorists on the Maoists and the removing the fixation of prices on them has paved the ground for the breaking of the stalemate. The Maoists too seem to have realised that sorting out matters at the table is a better way out than resorting to violence.

Minister for Information and Communications Ramesh Nath Pandey was right on pointing out that the government was in favour of resolving issues through dialogue. And this is proved by the flexibility that the government took in creating the conducive atmosphere to talk to the Maoists in resolving the problem. It is a positive gesture and the continuation of which will be in the greater interest of the people and the country.

The expectation with the government was great and it has done its bit to create the needed environment by which the Maoists have in a way agreed to come to the table and the ceasefire declared by them means much in the present situation.

The violence in the past seven years has hampered the economic growth of the country. The economy is not robust at present. It is not only an internal problem but the world over there is recession. The volatile global situation has affected a developing country like Nepal which has to pick its pace of development at a greater rate than ever. The exports have plummeted that has seen the industrial and business community facing the wrath. Tourism industry that is supposed to be a major backbone of the country's economy is experiencing great difficulties. As shown by a recent survey, many hotels, restaurants and travel agencies have had to relieve many of their employees. This certainly does not augur well for a country like Nepal which has to see its various sectors grow so that the living standard of the people can go up.

Now a ray of optimism has dawned and this opportunity should be capitalised so that the people can once again feel relief and the development activities can go ahead as envisaged.

It is also reassuring that the killing of people will come to a stop. More than five thousand civilians, security personnel and the Maoists have been killed in the past few years. Now that the ceasefire announced by the Maoists is in place, efforts have to be made sincerely so that there will be no further violence takes place and the people can live without fear and go about with their livelihood as in the past.

Now that the environment has been created it should be tapped so that the country that has gone through so much agony will find the soothing balm. At the same time the development activities must be given continuity and the aspirations of the people will be fulfilled.

Focus

The talks between the government and the Maoists that may take place soon must focus on bringing about lasting peace. A greater amount of home work must go into making the opportunity available fruitful. Violence after all does not pay. It is everyone's contribution that is essential to make the country prosperous. It is time now to work with dedication to purpose.

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