Political leaders despite welcoming the ceasefire between the government and the Maoists have expressed doubts whether the Maoists would really stick to their commitments as they had failed to do so in the past.

“The offer for ceasefire could be a ploy of the Maoists to consolidate their position,” former Prime Minister and President of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) Sher Bahadur Deuba told a mass meeting organized in Chitwan Thursday.

Speaking at a function organized by the district committee of Nepali Congress (Democratic) on the occasion of the Martyrs’ Day Deuba said, “The Maoists could have opted for peace talks after seeing that the government was consolidating its position through the import of modern weapons from
Belgium and America.”

“We cannot still rule out that the Maoists will not betray us once again,” Deuba said. The government and the Maoists had sat for three rounds of peace talks after the then Deuba government declared unilateral cease-fire on July 19 2001. 

The rebels then unilaterally broken the ceasefire on November 19 and attacked the security forces in Dang and Syangja. The Deuba government then imposed an emergency on November 26, 2001 and declared the Maoists as terrorists. 

Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala speaking at programme in Damauli Friday said the announcement of cease-fire could be a serious conspiracy against the political parties. He expressed doubts whether the government and the Maoists were coming closer to begin a campaign against the political parties. 

“Even if the guns of the two sides come together the Nepali Congress will keep on striving for the restoration of democracy by spelling out its bottom line,” Koirala said. “The announcement of peace talks is certainly a welcome thing but the outcome should be concrete, ” he said.

Former President of the Rastriya Prajatantara Party Surya Bahadur Thapa responding to the ceasefire said the proposed peace dialogue with the Maoists should lead to a positive outcome in favour of the nation, people and democracy.

Meanwhile reports from Janakpur where the UML is busy in its seventh General Convention quoted general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal as saying that dialogue for peace is certainly a positive thing but the way the ceasefire was announced in a surprising manner has raised concerns.

UML central committee members questioned why the government failed to make transparent the previous efforts directed at bringing the Maoists to the negotiating table. The members also expressed their concern as to why the political parties were sidelined in the process of striking a peace deal
with the Maoists.