KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Tuesday said that the world could see a big change by making legal and constitutional changes and accepting women’s existence. President Bhandari is on an official visit to take part in the 63rd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York, USA.
She said gender disparity is socially constructed and it could be changed, while speaking at the High Level Event on the theme of ‘How Women Leaders Change the World’ hosted by the President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces. “Gender quality is coexistence between life and universe. The act of looking down upon women and superstition will only drag the society,” she said.
Stating that lack of clarity in constitution and legal provisions makes women lag behind, the President said Nepal has witnessed a big change in a short span of time by making some general changes in the law. She referred to around 40,000 women people’s representatives elected in the erstwhile elections that makes up 35 to 41 percent women’s participation in all three levels— central, provincial and local.
Recalling her past ordeals at her birthplace of a remote and disadvantaged village of Nepal that lacked basic facilities like health and education, President Bhandari emphasized that all should have access to basic facilities.
POKHARA: Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba reiterated that the agreement recently signed between CK Raut and the Nepal government is detrimental to the national integrity.
Deuba also said that the agreement with CK Raut on ‘referendum” is against the national independence and sovereignty.
Speaking at a press conference organized by Nepal Press Union in Pokhara, he also objected to the agreement signed between the government and CK Raut, saying that any kinds of activities against the democracy would be unacceptable to the NC.
Meanwhile, Deuba stressed on the need to sort our the issue surrounding the high-profile wide-body aircraft purchase scam at the earliest. He said that the Ncell should pay tax to the state.
He also accused the government of trying to curtail press freedom in the name of National Civil Code 2017, saying that democracy and press freedom are interdependent.
KATHMANDU: Main opposition Nepali Congress has expressed its serious concern over the signing of 11-point pact between the Nepal government and CK Raut side and their subsequent activities.
Issuing a press release, NC parliamentary party office has said the differing interpretations being made by two sides of the agreement have created a situation of confusion.
The release stated that no one has authority to make any deals and agreements in a way to weaken independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, national unity and dignity of the country.
“CK Raut side has construed that the intent of the phrase ‘people’s mandate’ laid down in the pact is referendum for independent Madhes nation. The banners and placards shown up during Raut’s visit in Janakpur following the signing of deal and slogans chanted on the occasion is likely to instigate unfavorable situation”, reads the press release.
The statement jointly issued by Balkrishna Khand, NC chief whip at the House of Representatives, and Surendra Raj Pandey, NC parliamentary party leader at National Assembly noted lack of seriousness in the implementation of the pact from both the sides, there by creating confusion.
Meanwhile, NC expresses its serious concern over the deal and activities hurting national unity and territorial integrity the statement added.
KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari reached New York of the United States on Monday to attend the 63rd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, leading a Nepali delegation.
In the evening of March 11, President Bhandari attended a welcome dinner hosted by the President of UN General Assembly (PGA) Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces in honor of the women Heads of State/Government.
The President was received by Nepali Ambassador to the US Arjun Bahadur Karki, Permanent Representative to the UN Amrit Kumar Rai and high-ranking officials of Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations at the John F Kennedy International Airport.
In course of the session taking place at the UN headquarters on Monday, President Bhandari will address a high-level event entitled ‘Women in Power’ hosted by the President of UN General Assembly (PGA) Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces in New York today. The President will deliver her speech on the theme “How Women Leaders Change the World”, shared the Nepal’s permanent mission to the UN.
The delegation comprises Tham Maya Thapa, Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizen, Chairperson of the Women and Social Committee of the House of Representatives Niru Devi Pal, expert at the Office of the President Laxmi Kumari Karki, Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi, Secretary at the Office of the President Binod K.C., Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Yam Kumari Khatiwada and other senior officials from the Office of the President, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizen of the Government of Nepal.
KATHMANDU: The government is making preparations to form a five-member committee under the coordination of a former chief justice of the Supreme Court to select office-bearers to the transitional justice commissions.
Bhanubhakta Dhakal, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, said the committee shall pick new office-bearers to the two transitional justice commissions constituted to establish the facts and truth of the conflict-time incidents.
“The committee will select the persons to be nominated to the two commissions. Twelve years have already elapsed and now there should not be any delay in providing justice to the conflict victims,” he said.
The Law Minister said that the committee is being formed in keeping with the constitutional provision of forming a five-member committee under the convenorship of former Chief Justice and comprising the former chair of the National Human Rights Commission or any other person recommended by the Chair and three members from among the conflict survivors.
The government had extended the term of the two transitional justice commissions by one year after the term of the commissions concluded on February 10, through an amendment to the related Act.
POKHARA: Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said the demonstration staged by CK-led Alliance for Independence Madhesh (AIM) in Janakpur in the wake of the two-party agreement has raised questions.
Dahal said he is serious about this issue and also dwelled on it in a meeting with Prime Minister, KP Oli.
Talking to journalists in the touristic city Pokhara, Dahal said, “The demonstration staged by CK Raut-led AIM has raised some doubt. I also talked about this issue with the Prime Minister Oli. However, it is too early to comment on the demonstration.”
Dahal further said that the government will leave no stone unturned to maintain law and order in the country. The 11-point agreement is an example of it.
Talking about the deal with CK Raut, Dahal said, “An agreement between the government and CK Raut-led AIM, a secessionist group, has triggered a new discourse in the town. The reality is different than what is being rumored. The government inked a deal with CK Raut in an effort to bring his group into the mainstream politics.”
Biplav’s party has no future
Dahal has claimed that Nepal Communist Party led by Netra Bikam Chand ‘Biplav’, that had waged Maoist insurgency together with him, has no future. “The time has changed. The people do not have the same mentality as in the past. The issues of the people should be resolved through dialogues in line with the existing political system. I am hopeful that the Biplav group will come to the main stream politics soon.
Party unification soon
NCP is doing homework to consolidate the party. Dahal said the unification process has been prolonged not due to differences among the top leaders but due to some technical issues to be fixed in the party. He said, “The unification process has been delayed over technical reasons rather than the differences among the top leaders.”
We will sort out the unification issue within few days, he said.
KATHMANDU: The standing committee meeting of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist), CPN (ML), has said the government’s bid to bring the CK Raut-led group involving in secessionist activities into peaceful politics is a positive step.
The meeting chaired by party general secretary CP Mainali also urged the government to immediately make its views public saying the CK Raut group has started publicizing that the government has agreed to organize a ‘referendum’ on its demand of ‘Madhes as an independent country’.
The party said that point number 2 of the agreement mentioned, ‘agreed that the grievances in the Tarai/ Madhes and elsewhere in the country would be resolved through the democratic method of public consultation’.
Based on this point, CPN (ML) standing committee stated that the government should be cautious of the possibility of the CK Raut group pursuing seditious activities through peaceful means.
The party also objected to what it said the government agreeing to the group’s name as ‘Alliance for Independent Madhesh’ and the agreement mentioning that the Alliance would be treated as a democratic political force.
KATHMANDU: Central member of the main opposition, Nepali Congress, Shekhar Koirala has taken exception to the agreement signed between the government and CK Raut-led Alliance for Independent Madhesh (AIM) saying that it is against the national sovereignty and independence.
Issuing a press statement on Monday, NC influential Koirala said, “Even though the move to bring the rebel group into the main steam politics is positive, the term ‘public opinion’ laid down in the second point of the agreement is against the integrity and the national independence of the country.
“Nepali people cannot accept it,” Koirala stated vehemently, adding, “The use of term ‘public opinion’ in the second point of the agreement indicates ill intention of both the sides.”
Meanwhile, the turn of events in Janakpur after CK Raut’s arrival has also been objectionable and a matter of serious concern.
JANAKPUR: Two days after signing an 11-point agreement with the government, CK Raut, coordinator of Alliance for Independent Madhesh (AIM), received a hero’s welcome in Janakpur.
Commando-attired guards wearing black glasses and bullet-proof look-alike jackets escorted Raut from the Janakpur Airport this afternoon.
Scores of his supporters carrying flags of AIM flanked him shouting slogans of ‘Independent Madhesh’ such as “Go down with Nepali colonization”, “Hail CK Raut”, among others.
Raut looked cheerful while he was escorted by his guards first time after he reached Janakpur after signing the agreement with the government.
KATHMANDU: Nepal Communist Party (NCP) lawmaker and leader Bhim Rawal has expressed serious concern over some terms used in the agreement between the government and Alliance for Independent Madhesh.
Rawal said CK Raut, coordinator of the Alliance for Independent Madhesh, has failed to clarify his secessionist stance. “Raut has to clarify it,” Rawal demanded while speaking at the House of Representatives (HoR) today.
The NCP leader also sought Raut’s apology for spitting venom against the country’s nationality and indivisibility in the past.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Rawal also demanded the government to amend the words in the agreement that are not in the interest of the nation.