Nepalese imbroglio

The Maoists resorted to insurgency following their election defeat in 1996, in which they won only nine of the 205 parliamentary seats. The death toll since then has touched almost a thousand, of which fifty percent occurred after the Nepalese army initiated anti-Maoists operations in 2002.

The use of force by both the government and the rebels has drawn the concern of the human rights groups who have urged upon both parties to show restraint and regard for human rights.

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Since the breakdown of talks between the Nepalese government and the Maoist rebels in August last year, the Maoists have intensified their attacks on government forces. In the two recent attacks, one on 20-21 March which was reportedly the biggest since the Maoists took to the jungles in 1996 and another, on 13 March this year, the rebels displayed renewed vigour and change of strategy in taking the Nepalese security forces head on. In the first case, as many as five thousand Maoists participated in attacking a district headquarters, resulting in the death of five hundred rebels, while in the second case, as many as fifteen hundred rebels were involved, according to the claims of the Royal Nepalese Army.

Tourism, one of the largest contributor to Nepalese economy, as well as the NGOs, the most important adjunct of development mechanism in Nepal, have been made the targets of the rebels. This has had a severe impact on her economy.

There appears to be no solution in the foreseeable future to the Nepalese government-Maoists differences. The Nepalese government would not consider anything put forward by the Maoists that goes against the constitutional provisions, while abolition of the monarchy is the central issue for the Maoists.

The sooner the democratic process in Nepal is restored, the easier it would be for the democratic government to tackle insurgency. Cynics suggest that the present impasse suits the current king very well. Meanwhile the people continue to suffer.