2011: Political instability tests Nepal peace process
Kathmandu Nepal was troubled by political instability in 2011, which stalled the landmark peace process and the framing of a new constitution, even as Kathmandu inked two crucial pacts with India to deepen bilateral ties.
Nepal entered the new year without a government as political parties struggled to form a coalition even after making several attempts.
On February 3, Communist leader Jhalanath Khanal was finally elected as the prime minister after 17 attempts over a seven-month period. But he failed to continue for long and was forced to resign within months.
Khanal was succeeded by Maoist ideologue Baburam Bhattarai who was sworn in as Prime Minister in August after weeks of political wrangling among the major parties.
The 57-year-old Jawaharlal Nehru University scholar ascended to the post at a crucial time, facing the twin challenge of integrating and rehabilitating over 19,000 former Maoist guerrillas and framing a constitution, two major conditions of a 2006 peace deal which ended a decade-long civil war that killed some 16,000 people.
Following weeks of negotiations, Nepalese lawmakers on November 29 agreed on a fourth six-month extension for the Constituent Assembly for drafting the country's constitution.
The two-year tenure of the Assembly, which functions as the interim parliament since 2008, had been extended thrice earlier following the failure of the political parties to conclude the peace process and frame a constitution.
A landmark deal between Nepal's political parties to integrate 6,500 of the 19,000 former Maoist guerrillas into the security forces set the stage for reinvigorating the stalled peace process and formation of a national unity government.
They also agreed to rehabilitate those who choose to go back to society with a cash incentive of up to Rs 900,000 each ($11,500).
The political parties also agreed to expedite the constitution drafting process and form a national consensus government after concluding the peace process at the earliest.
Nepal showed greater dynamism on the foreign policy front as it agreed to expand and consolidate the close multi-faceted relationship with India, including in the area of trade and security.
During Prime Minister Bhattarai's three-day India visit in October, Nepal assured India that it would not allow its territory to be used for anti-India activities.
Nepal agreed to develop a mechanism to check the Fake Currency Notes (FCN) circulation on Indo-Nepal border.
Amid vocal demands by the Nepal Maoists, the two neighbours also agreed "to review, adjust and update the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship and other agreements, while giving due recognition to the special features of the bilateral relationship".
India and Nepal signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) to help reduce the cost of doing business by entrepreneurs of the two countries. India, is the biggest source of foreign investment in Nepal as also its largest trading partner.
On November 27, Indian and Nepal signed a revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) to facilitate exchange of banking and tax information and sharing it with law enforcement agencies. It would also help in assessment of taxes and one-time payment in the source or destination country whenever necessary.
The agreement is likely to boost confidence of investors and help Nepal attract more investment from India, which is the biggest source of foreign investments in Nepal, as also its largest trading partner, experts said.
Promising to support Nepal's landmark peace process, India called for an early conclusion of the reconciliation efforts and the drafting of a new constitution on the basis of consensus among the political parties.
Nepal's effort to expand its ties with China received a setback after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's three-day visit to the country was postponed, apparently over security concerns.
Wen's scheduled trip from December 20 would have been the first by a Chinese prime minister since premier Zhu Rongji's visit in 2001. Chinese Embassy officials had expressed their displeasure over the early announcement of the date of the visit without consulting Beijing. Nepal was seeking assistance worth $7 billion from China to construct the second International Airport at tourist town of Pokhara and for three mid-sized hydropower projects to meet the growing domestic demand for energy.
Though Nepal has underlined its "one-China policy" that views Tibet as an integral part of China, the 20,000 exiled Tibetans here have intensified their anti-Beijing protest in the last few years, amid stepped up pressure on the government from Beijing to halt such activities. In 2011, Tibetan self-immolation protests spread to Nepal with a monk dressed in traditional robes setting himself alight chanting anti-Chinese slogans.
At the end of the year, time may be running out for Nepal's bickering political leaders who are yet to show political courage to conclude the peace process. A fresh crisis seems to be looming over Nepal's fragile peace process, with the government and the judiciary locked in a tussle over the question of another possible extension for the Assembly, whose term expires in May-end.
The government is not only facing renewed challenges from the main opposition parties -- the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal, but also from a hardline faction within the ultra-left party who have accused the prime minister of "betraying the peoples' struggle."
Source http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/2011--Political-instability-tests-Nepal-peace-process/893879/
Nepal entered the new year without a government as political parties struggled to form a coalition even after making several attempts.
On February 3, Communist leader Jhalanath Khanal was finally elected as the prime minister after 17 attempts over a seven-month period. But he failed to continue for long and was forced to resign within months.
Khanal was succeeded by Maoist ideologue Baburam Bhattarai who was sworn in as Prime Minister in August after weeks of political wrangling among the major parties.
The 57-year-old Jawaharlal Nehru University scholar ascended to the post at a crucial time, facing the twin challenge of integrating and rehabilitating over 19,000 former Maoist guerrillas and framing a constitution, two major conditions of a 2006 peace deal which ended a decade-long civil war that killed some 16,000 people.
Following weeks of negotiations, Nepalese lawmakers on November 29 agreed on a fourth six-month extension for the Constituent Assembly for drafting the country's constitution.
The two-year tenure of the Assembly, which functions as the interim parliament since 2008, had been extended thrice earlier following the failure of the political parties to conclude the peace process and frame a constitution.
A landmark deal between Nepal's political parties to integrate 6,500 of the 19,000 former Maoist guerrillas into the security forces set the stage for reinvigorating the stalled peace process and formation of a national unity government.
They also agreed to rehabilitate those who choose to go back to society with a cash incentive of up to Rs 900,000 each ($11,500).
The political parties also agreed to expedite the constitution drafting process and form a national consensus government after concluding the peace process at the earliest.
Nepal showed greater dynamism on the foreign policy front as it agreed to expand and consolidate the close multi-faceted relationship with India, including in the area of trade and security.
During Prime Minister Bhattarai's three-day India visit in October, Nepal assured India that it would not allow its territory to be used for anti-India activities.
Nepal agreed to develop a mechanism to check the Fake Currency Notes (FCN) circulation on Indo-Nepal border.
Amid vocal demands by the Nepal Maoists, the two neighbours also agreed "to review, adjust and update the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship and other agreements, while giving due recognition to the special features of the bilateral relationship".
India and Nepal signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) to help reduce the cost of doing business by entrepreneurs of the two countries. India, is the biggest source of foreign investment in Nepal as also its largest trading partner.
On November 27, Indian and Nepal signed a revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) to facilitate exchange of banking and tax information and sharing it with law enforcement agencies. It would also help in assessment of taxes and one-time payment in the source or destination country whenever necessary.
The agreement is likely to boost confidence of investors and help Nepal attract more investment from India, which is the biggest source of foreign investments in Nepal, as also its largest trading partner, experts said.
Promising to support Nepal's landmark peace process, India called for an early conclusion of the reconciliation efforts and the drafting of a new constitution on the basis of consensus among the political parties.
Nepal's effort to expand its ties with China received a setback after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's three-day visit to the country was postponed, apparently over security concerns.
Wen's scheduled trip from December 20 would have been the first by a Chinese prime minister since premier Zhu Rongji's visit in 2001. Chinese Embassy officials had expressed their displeasure over the early announcement of the date of the visit without consulting Beijing. Nepal was seeking assistance worth $7 billion from China to construct the second International Airport at tourist town of Pokhara and for three mid-sized hydropower projects to meet the growing domestic demand for energy.
Though Nepal has underlined its "one-China policy" that views Tibet as an integral part of China, the 20,000 exiled Tibetans here have intensified their anti-Beijing protest in the last few years, amid stepped up pressure on the government from Beijing to halt such activities. In 2011, Tibetan self-immolation protests spread to Nepal with a monk dressed in traditional robes setting himself alight chanting anti-Chinese slogans.
At the end of the year, time may be running out for Nepal's bickering political leaders who are yet to show political courage to conclude the peace process. A fresh crisis seems to be looming over Nepal's fragile peace process, with the government and the judiciary locked in a tussle over the question of another possible extension for the Assembly, whose term expires in May-end.
The government is not only facing renewed challenges from the main opposition parties -- the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal, but also from a hardline faction within the ultra-left party who have accused the prime minister of "betraying the peoples' struggle."
Source http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/2011--Political-instability-tests-Nepal-peace-process/893879/
Comments