Hundreds of people join in a peaceful demostration organised by the Citizen’s Movement for Democracy and Peace at Bashantapur Durbar Square, Kathmandu, to pressurise the government to announce the date of Constituent Assembly Sunday, Aug 06 06. nepalnews.com/ANA

Thousands of people from different walks of life joined in a peaceful demonstration organised by a civil society group, the Citizens Movement for Peace and Democracy (CMPD), at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu Sunday.

The participants displayed banners and placards written with slogans demanding speedy peace process and the announcement of date of the constituent assembly elections. They also demanded that the monarchy be declared ‘interim’ until the constituent assembly decides its fate.

While human rights activists, professionals, artistes, students and media persons assembled in huge numbers, the CMPD leaders said that political activists with their party flags had been banned in the mass gathering.

Most civil society leaders who addressed the gathering lamented the sluggish peace process and asked the seven-party government not to waste time in petty matters.

Human rights activist Krishna Pahadi said the latest activities of the government had overshadowed the possibility of timely elections to the constituent assembly. “It appears that the constituent assembly elections won’t take place without the civil society pressure. Our movement is aimed at creating pressure for that,” he said, declaring that the movement would continue unless the constituent assembly elections were guaranteed.

Another civil society activist Padma Ranta Tuladhar said the seven-party alliance was increasingly coming under the influence of foreign powers, which has made the ongoing peace process uncertain.

Likewise, Dr Arun Sayami said the civil society should play a role of a watchdog in the present transitional period as there is a risk of the Maoists returning to the jungle and parties hobnobbing with the now-beleaguered palace.

This was one of major non-political mass gatherings after the successful people’s movement.