Silver lining to deadlock cloud?

John Narayan Parajuli 
KATHMANDU, SEP 27 -
A day after Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal formally withdrew  from the prime ministerial race, political parleys appear to be a “potential breakthrough.” The discussion between Dahal and Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Monday centred on the package deal that would address the crucial issues of the peace process, constitution and power sharing among major parties.

“Both Prime Minister Nepal and Chairman Dahal agreed to work out a package deal,” said Suro Jung Pandey, Press Assistant to the prime minister. On Sunday, right after the 8th round of failed prime ministerial polls, UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal had said that a credible basis of national consensus was being prepared. Monday’s development appears to be a part of those ongoing consultations.

The discussion between Nepal and Dahal, described as “positive” by some attendees, comes a day after Nepali Congress’ prime ministerial contender and the sole candidate in the field Ram Chandra Poudel put a condition for his withdrawal from the race. He said he wanted the Maoists and other parties to come up with a basis for agenda-based agreement that would lead to detachment of the Maoists from their combatants first. In the dialogue between Dahal and Nepal, there was a “meeting of minds” to expedite the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants. “Dahal told Nepal that the special committee needs to be made proactive to expedite the tasks relating to the integration of the combatants,” Sameer Dahal, an aide to Maoist leader Dahal quoted him as saying. Monday’s discussion comes against the backdrop of a series of agreement reached between the Maoists, the government and the UML since Sept. 13 on extending UNMIN’s term and ending the deadlock on government formation. But  Dahal’s latest overtures are seen by some in the UML as an attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

A senior UML leader said the Maoists’ willingness to make concessions to quickly move

forward on the integration issue is triggered by certain calculations. “They feel that if they can fulfil the preconditions set by other parties for a Maoist-led government, namely the detachment of

arms and armies while a caretaker government is in place, they can claim the next government’s leadership,” he said.more

Nepal: A Political Crisis and Indo-Chinese Tensions

Summary

Nepalese Prime Minister Prachanda resigned on May 4 in protest of the president’s decision to block the Maoist leadership from sacking Nepal’s army chief. While the political disarray in Nepal threatens to break the government apart, it also has stirred a long-standing rivalry between India and China over the Himalayan country.

Analysis

Nepal’s Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda resigned May 4 in protest of the Nepalese president’s decision to block the elected Maoist government from firing the country’s army chief. The Nepalese government is now in danger of collapsing as India scrambles to form a coherent policy toward Kathmandu to counter China’s growing influence in the Himalayan country. The Maoist leadership, meanwhile, will draw on Indo-Chinese competition over Kathmandu in an attempt secure its political demands. Read more