Giving peace a last chance!

The catastrophe, that rocked Dang, Syangja and Solu districts last Friday and Sunday could perhaps be taken as the second largest and chaotic carnage after Dunai, which had happened some six months back. The present blood-bath carried out by the Maoists insurgents in these three said districts forces one to conclude that the aggrieved party, the military and the police force, would in all probability retaliate with equal force time permitting. In essence, the Friday's and the Sunday's sad event and its expected retaliation from the government's quarters and its predictable counter-retaliation from the other camp might plunge the country into further chaos and the emerging ultimate political scenario could invariably be somewhat entirely different than one might have in one's mind. However, it would be immature at this juncture to predict the future course of the nation given that a nationwide state of Emergency has already been declared by the King.

Since the imposition of the state of emergency is first of its own kind in the country and hence it would be pretty difficult to predict how the two warring rivals "treat each other" at the battlefields.

While one could only shed tears for the incalculable loss of so much of precious lives of the nations' "trained force", both from the police and the military establishment in th Syangja, Dang and Solu incidents, however, some questions need to be answered by the establishment without any let or hindrance.

Questions could well be asked as to why the Deuba regime wasted time in understanding the hidden message contained therein in comrade Prachanda's abrupt no to the talks which he publicised on Wednesday itself. In essence, the government should have kept all of its security machinery on highest alert which could have at least saved some precious lives. However, the government apparently concluded that the insurgents might attend the fourth round of talks. But every thing went upside down and the insurgents contrary to the belief of the establishment created panic in those three districts.

The government under Sher Bahadur Deuba was left with no other option other than to resort to the imposition of a state of emergency in the country in order to protect the common men and save the nation from going to abyss. Understandably, the government was pushed to the wall and hence the imposition of the emergency. Under the existing circumstances in the country any government in the world would have resorted to this provision as has been done by Nepal as a nation-state.

And now that the Maoists insurgency has been declared as terrorists and that a new provision to contain the terrorists also is already in place that has been brought into effect through the use of Royal Ordinance, a ray of hope is there among the national population that a peaceful atmosphere will again prevail in the country time permitting.

All said and done, the battle in between the insurgents and the state's security machinery would expectedly be a long-drawn one which will take its tall indeed. Given this reality we endorse the Monday statement issued by the Kathmandu based European Union's representatives wherein they suggest to resume the process of the now abruptly suspended talks in the larger interest of the nation. We hereby call upon all the responsible nations of the world, international donor community, various HR groups, scholars, mediamen and enlightened citizens to press both the Nepali government and the Maoists leaders so that they resume the talks. For we believe that giving peace a last chance will not be that bad even at this changed political environment. The Deuba establishment is modestly suggested to use all the possible channels for the resumption of the talks with the rebellions as before so that prevalence of peace is given a last chance. If there is any such move from the government quarters, the Maoists too must reciprocate to those political overtures all in the name of their own motherland. Both were the sons of this soil indeed.

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