NATIONAL 3 -(Spotlight Weekly)

Never Ending Battle

The peace still seems to be distant even after the loss of more than 1300 people

By A CORRESPONDENT

More than two-hundred people from the Maoist-affected regions have been staging a sit-in at Bhadrakali. The internally displaced people who claim to have been subjected to wretched life by both the police and Maoist have brought the guerrilla war being fought in remote mid-western parts right in front of Singhdurbar.

Victims at Bhadrakali : Need compassion.

This week, 25 people -- twelve police, six guerrillas and seven local people including five children -- were killed in a cross-fire between Maoist insurgents and police in Paanchkatiya village of Jajarkot district.

Even as the insurgency keeps on claiming more innocent lives, the Maoist leaders and government claim that they want dialogue to end the violence and killings of innocent Nepalese citizens from either side but they have yet to actually sit down together for negotiations.

All the political parties have called for peaceful solution of the Maoists problem through dialogue. But they are yet to try to pressure government and Maoists to end the violence.

General Secretary of Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) Prachanda recently expressed the possibility of talks with the government if the latter meets its "minimum conditions".

The "minimum conditions" demanded by Maoists include making public on the whereabouts of missing Maoists leaders, release of all Maoist activists presently in police custody and call for cease-fire.

Both the government as well as Maoists seem to take the initiatives for dialogue as another time-buying move. Just a day after Prachanda called for dialogue with the government, his guerrillas abducted a government employee in Rolpa district. The acting district education officer Rajendra Prasad Yadav was abducted while he was on his way to Dhangadi to take part in a seminar.

On the other hand, despite the call from Prachanda, the high level committee formed by the government under the leadership of former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to find ways to solve the issue is yet to respond.

"The negotiations between Maoists and government is possible and we can stop killing of innocent people from both sides," said Padma Ratna Tuladhar, a human right activist who is mediating between Maoists and government. "Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has already asked me to start the negotiations but the leader of high level committee Sher Bahadur Deuba seems busy in other work."

The negotiation between the government and Maoist rebels was broken two months ago following the change of the government.

After the change in guards, the issue got complicated when during his first month in office, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala seemed more keen on using force to deal with Maoists but later on he softened his stand and began calling for peaceful settlement.

As the high level committee headed by former prime minister Deuba is yet to respond to the fresh calls from Maoist General Secretary, more blood continues to be spilt.

It is indeed strange what is holding up the talks as both the government, which is under pressure from international community, and Maoists, who are searching for some kind of negotiations, have expressed their commitment to sit down together.