The re-invention of a coherent national strategy to restore law and order must start at the political level through dialogue between the mainstream political forces

By Dipta Shah

How often we hear the phrase, “There is no military solution” to Nepal’s conflict. It’s as if military measures have no role in solving our present challenge. This confuses the issue, and in doing so takes us further from resolution.

In one sense, the phrase “military solution” is generally employed to connote conventional battlefield victory. But in Nepal we face an unconventional situation. This unconventional situation is insurgent warfare, the kind of conflict in which a multifaceted strategy must be used – with military means as one of the instruments.

A military component to an overall national strategy is a necessary and required condition to ending Nepal’s conflict.

Contrary to loudly proclaimed belief, the objective of a “military solution” does not lie in the annihilation of either of the conflicting parties. Rather, a “military solution” serves as an effective component to an integrated whole (a deterrent of sorts), the vanguard of which should be clearly stated political objectives.

Nepal’s Maoists have exhibited just such an integrated approach – one that relies heavily on the military constituent of their overall strategy, to pave the way for the other components. In response, the Nepali state must urgently re-define its own “military solution” in similar non-conventional terms.

At the heart of the Nepali state’s integrated solution must lie an answer to the following question: “Why is this war being fought?” The response must inadvertently include a political end-goal, the guiding principles of which should be the cessation of hostilities (at the earliest opportunity) and a sustainable road-map to stable and functional democratic governance. The Maoists have a clear vision of their own version of end-goals. It’s high time the state re-formulated and enunciated a competing vision.

The Nepali state must urgently develop its capacity to explain the realities of conflict in Nepal. Why do we fight? What are our goals? Politics must lead, supported by military action.
A root cause underlying the progress of Nepal’s insurgency has been the failure of successive governments to assert their constitutionally mandated powers. Governments have failed to mobilize the state’s security apparatus based on discrete political objectives.

This deficiency in the state’s operations contributes negatively to the morale amongst the nation’s security forces. Continued neglect in this area naturally buttresses another facet of the Maoists “military solution” which is the consolidation of the confidence gap between the RNA and the mainstream political parties.

With regard to their own integrated strategy, the Maoists have performed spectacularly. This group has unambiguously stated political objectives and has developed complementary military assets with which to achieve its goals. Despite their subservience to a primitive, alien ideology, the Maoist leadership has cogently steered developments toward their political objectives at every opportunity, with military measures as just one weapon of many.

For example: “bandas” are enforced through terror; every documented period of negotiation or cease-fire has been initiated and terminated with heavy military action; participation in municipal polls were discouraged by public “executions”; and every public statement from the Maoists has included a political message accompanied by the threat of insurgent military action. These are all facets of the Maoists “military solution” employed under the broader umbrella of their political approach.

Perhaps the most ingenious element of the Maoist strategy has been their mobilization of the INGO community (at the political level) to actively thwart the employment of auxiliary forces to supplement the state’s security apparatus (at the military level). This observation is made in full view of the fact that had the state proceeded to deploy non-conventional forces (as is done in almost every other insurgency, including those to Nepal’s South), the impact would have been devastating for the Maoists – a shift of the conflict (in the state’s favor) and a drastic erosion of the Maoists’ recruiting ground.

Inadvertently, certain elements of the international community have assured the progress of Nepal’s insurgency by guaranteeing the uninhibited expansion of the Maoist campaign of forced indoctrination, recruitment, and intimidation. Ironically, therefore, the Maoists have successfully manipulated a purely humanitarian position to the benefit of their “military solution” – even as they continue to do exactly what the international community prohibits the state from doing, mobilizing local communities!

Meanwhile, the battered Nepali state demonstrates neither a willingness to re-evaluate its political strategy nor an ability to re-constitute its “military solution” in terms acceptable to the international community. The Nepali state must urgently develop its capacity to explain the realities of conflict in Nepal. Why do we fight? What are our goals? Politics must lead, supported by military action.

The re-invention of a coherent national strategy to restore law and order must start at the political level through dialogue between the mainstream political forces. The intended outcome of this initiative should be three fold: narrowing the confidence gap between the RNA and Nepal’s elite political class; the formulation of an integrated political strategy at the national level; and the acknowledgement of a viable, complementary military campaign to enable any proposed political solution.

Although the RNA’s symbolic patron may remain the King, the RNA’s champions should undoubtedly be the political hierarchy. Their present verbiage highlights a shameful debt of ingratitude to those who have fought for them and for democracy.

As for the recently “reformed” Maoist movement – which trumpets its dedication to the protection of human rights, universal freedoms, and multiparty democracy – it should have no problems honoring initiatives that forward an agenda of national reconciliation. Let there be another momentous “X-Point Agreement,” but this time amongst the mainstream forces (and their rightful military assets) to complement the much touted 12-Point agreement between the Parties and the Maoists.

Of course, the wishful alternative would be for the Maoists to unconditionally lay down their arms which ultimately, is the real test of their newly found yearning for peace. But the prospects of this outcome are as likely as the idea that any lasting solution can be had in the absence of a military component to the state’s multi-faceted challenge.

(Shah is affiliated with a US-based global services advisory firm. This article is reproduced here with permission from www.nepaleyes.com where it first appeared. Please send your comments to [email protected] or [email protected])

(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to [email protected])

All the players in politics seem handicapped to overcome the crisis

By KESHAB POUDEL

“The constitution will not be a barrier if there is an understanding between the King and the democratic forces,” said B.P. Koirala, in the hardest period of party less Panchayat system when he was pursuing for negotiation with the King. “The constitution is merely a scrap of paper.”

His thrust was that political understanding between the King and democratic forces was important than the modalities of constitution. When B.P. Koirala was pursuing his argument, there was a constitution that barred to hold any party activity. The Constitution was authoritarian and committed to party-less political system whereas the present constitution has all basic ingredients of democratic system which was drafted under the popular uprising of 1990.

However, the present political leadership including Congress leader and brother of B.P. Koirala, Girija Prasad Koirala who has been working under a liberal democratic constitution which guarantees multi-party democracy, independent judiciary, individual rights and press freedom- is ignoring this.

Instead of showing willingness to reactivate the constitution building through understanding, what political leaders are demanding with the King is to initiate a process paving the way to go for Constituent Assembly. The King, too, is half-heartedly inviting political leaders for dialogue aiming to activate the constitution.

Although the country has been passing through very critical phase, there is a vacuum of a political leadership that can speak and take decisions like B.P. Koirala to overcome the political impasse. Nepal ‘s western friends including the United States have been making every effort to pursue the King and political parties to reach out to each other for certain understanding but Nepalese leaders are showing their handicap.

In his message on Democracy Day, King Gyanendra called for a dialogue but used word like “willing”, which is politically unnecessary. “I call upon all willing political parties to come forward to speedily activate the derailed political process in the broader interest of the country,” said King Gyanendra.

Through this statement, King Gyanendra has shown his handicap to overcome the political process. In his recent remarks, first vice chairman Dr. Tulsi Giri, who is known for his provocative remarks and is reportedly projected as a person who is barring reconciliation between the King and political parties, used all kinds of words to destroy conducive environment created by Nepal ‘s friends. Interestingly, Dr. Giri’s remarks came just a few hours after the meeting between King Gyanendra and US principal deputy assistant secretary of state Donald Camp in Pokhara.

“Having appointed him at the highest position after two decade long self-exile to India , the King is not in a position to ignore first vice chairman Dr. Giri’s constant personal association with India ‘s top strategists in offering any political concessions to political leaders. Dr.Giri’s statements show that he was assigned a role to widen political polarization between the King and the organized political parties to the extent of point of no return,” said a political observer.

Similarly, there are also numbers of communist extremists in seven parties political alliance who have many commonalities with Dr. Giri so far as creating the rift is concerned. The right and left extremists – who hold completely different political ideology – are serving similar interest making the King and leaders of liberal democratic parties handicapped in taking independent decision.

“There will be no dialogue with the King as long as he does not agree to hold the elections for Constituent Assembly,” said senior leader of CPN-UML Bharat Mohan Adhikary, who was also a member of the Constitution Drafting Commission, which drafted the present constitution. These statements will benefit the extremists siding with the King.

The invisible alliance of extremists have rendered the leaders handicapped. “I will abide by the decision of seven parties. What seven parties agree is my own decision,” said former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

At a time when seven parties alliance is dominated by extremist communist parties, leaders of liberal democratic parties have nominal influence in its decision-making. Following the 12 point understanding with the Maoists, leaders like Koirala and Deuba have no option other than to defend them.

Handicapped by their own closer alliances with rightists and communist extremists, the King and leaders of liberal democrats, who have many commonalities of interest and who are close ally, are not in a position to unite for the greater interest of the country.

This is the reason political leaders representing liberal democratic political parties – who had forced King Birendra to sign the document as agreed by them – are unable to defend the same document as a meeting point to build further understanding.

“If there is a will and understanding, the constitution is not a barrier to find out ways to accommodate major political forces,” said the political analyst.

As all political leaders are handicapped and unable to exhibit courage and will as was shown by charismatic statesman late B.P. Koirala, it is going to be very difficult to overcome the current political stalemate.

The royal regime continues to detain four senior civil society and rights activists – just for standing up in favour of peace and ‘loktantra’ in the country.

By Indra Adhikari

It’s been two months that former ministers in the interim government of 1990, Dr Devendra Raj Panday and Prof. Mathura Prasad Shrestha, senior rights activist Krishna Pahadi and editor Shyam Shrestha – were picked up from their houses early in the morning and put behind bars.

Their crime: to stand up against the royal regime and campaign fearlessly for restoration of peace, human rights, rule of law and `loktantra’ (democracy) in the country.

At a time when telephone lines were cut off, hundreds of political leaders and activists were detained and there was unprecedented censorship on the media, rights activist Pahadi organized the first street protest in the capital, Kathmandu, within a week of the royal takeover in February last year. Dr. Panday, Prof. Shrestha and editor of pro-left Mulyankan monthly Shyam Shrestha were also in the forefront of civil society’s peaceful movement against the royal regime. They later floated ‘Citizens’ Movement for Peace and Democracy’ with a view to act as watchdog and support the opposition parties’ movement for the restoration of democracy in the country.

(From left) Prof. Shrestha, Dr. Panday, editor Shrestha and Pahadi. The banner that was displayed at the Yelamaya Kendra on Friday reads: “Why are you detaining them? Release them immediately.” (Photo courtesy: Min Bajracharya/ Himal khabarpatrika)
A day before the huge mass meeting and rally being organized by the seven party opposition alliance in Kathmandu, over one hundred political leaders and activists were arrested by police. Shrestha duo, Dr. Panday and Pahadi were among them. The next day, the royal government declared day-long curfew in the streets of Kathmandu. It was the first time since the restoration of democracy in 1990 that the government had resorted to curfew in an attempt to thwart the peaceful rally.

“The continued detention of politicians and rights activists shows that this government does not have even a little bit of respect towards rule of law and the country’s constitution,” said politician and ideologue Nilamber Acharya, addressing a protest programme organised at the Yelamaya Kendra in Lalitpur on Friday. “It’s obvious that all these detentions are illegal which has been proved by the orders delivered by the court in other similar cases,” he added.

Said Padma Ratna Tuladhar, a noted rights activist, Nepalis in general and political parties in particular should applaud the commitment and courage exhibited by jailed rights activists.

Politicians still behind bars include Nepali Congress general secretary Ram Chandra Poudel and NC leader Narahari Acharya. Local authorities handed over detention orders to politicians and civil society activists saying that it had been necessary to put them under ‘preventive detention’ as their activities would, otherwise, pose serious threat to law and order in the country. Was that true?

Talking to Nepalnews, rights activist and chairman of Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), Subodh Raj Pyakurel, said that allegations like these are simply ‘unethical.’ “It is a well known fact that rights activists have ‘zero tolerance’ towards all kinds of violence. Hence, such baseless allegations only expose the mentality and intention of the royal regime,” he added.

“The government has to understand that you cannot expand authority and shed responsibility; you can not preach democracy and deny freedom; you cannot preach law and order and hold yourself above the Constitution.”
— Priniti Pant, daughter of Dr. Panday
When kept in confinement, inner strength and conviction are the only companion available to people who willingly choose custody rather than submission to an authoritarian regime. When surveyed by Nepalnews, family members of detained civil society leaders and rights activists said all of them had high morale and were spending their time reading and writing.

President of Human Rights Organisation of Nepal (HURON), Charan Prasai, was put behind bars for nearly two weeks in Jawalakhel without any warrant last month. On Wednesday, he went to see his colleague and friend, Krishna Pahadi and senior journalist Shyam Shrestha, at the Armed Police Force battalion no 2 in Maharajgunj.

“Shrestha and Pahadi spend about two hours daily practicing Yoga in the morning. The day begins with newspapers allowed by the government in the custody. Then they spend their time rest of the day reading books, writing articles, diaries etc. and discussing about the future of freedom in the country,” said Prasain.

A vegetarian and bachelor, Pahadi dons his trademark yellow clothes. He is still to recover from his illness. He has been diagnosed with excess cholesterol in blood; and has been contacting doctors at the Gangalal Hospital. “My uncle had turned sick but now there has been some improvement in his health,” Pahadi’s niece, Anupama, told us.

Journalist Shrestha’s wife said, “When I go to meet him, he seldom talks politics. Police now-a-days do not intervene while we are talking but they ask us not to spend too much time there.”

Pahadi has asked for books on history, water resources, human rights and religion while Shrestha seemed more interested in politics and biography of imminent political figures. Shrestha recently completed biography of Nelson Mandela and is looking for books on restructuring of the state. One of the favourite of Pahadi is Bhagavad Gita, according to his family members.

According to Pranav, son of Prof. Mathura Shrestha, the senior rights activist is suffering from cough and cold for the last one week. “He is gradually recovering now,” he said.

“My father is allowed to read the state-owned Gorkhapatra, Nepal Samacharpatra and Rajdhani dailies. Listening radio is strictly prohibited,” said Pranav.

Prof. Shrestha also passes his days reading books. He has more interest on political philosophies and analysis. “He also asks us to email to selected persons and media houses his write-ups and political analysis which he gives us in hand written form,” said his son.

Nepalnews was not able to talk to family members of Dr Devendra Raj Panday despite several attempts.

According to rights groups who had visited him, Panday is being kept at APF battalion-1 in Naxal and has been denied access to radio and independent newspapers. Conditions of food and bed are also unsatisfactory.

As Nepali officials including Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey are giving final touches to Nepal’s presentation at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Commission (now, renamed as Human Rights Council), dozens of political leaders and rights activists continue to languish in detention centers in Kathmandu.

The officials are likely to face hard times in Geneva while attempting defend the human rights record of the government after the royal takeover. But it was difficult to understand why the government continues to detain politicians and civil society activists despite widespread international condemnation.

In an op-ed article published in Thursday’s The Himalayan Times daily, Priniti Pant wrote, “My father (Dr. Devendra Raj Panday) has been jailed for more than two months. While the government may argue that he has been charged with a crime, everyone understands that it is simply semantics. Will the government which made the decision to jail him ever be held accountable?”

Dr. Pant, who teaches at Roger Williams University, Rhode Islands in the US, further wrote: “The government has to understand that you cannot expand authority and shed responsibility; you can not preach democracy and deny freedom; you cannot preach law and order and hold yourself above the Constitution. The people in this government need to fear the day of judgment and understand that when the day comes, they will be held accountable for what they have done to this country and they are doing.”

Though the whole documentary reflects Peru, it’s only a matter of time when we will be in their shoes and some other country would be watching our ordeal.

By Shammi Shah

Fervent and excited, I finally got to see the documentary last month, which I had been longing to gorge my eyes on. Thanks to Martin Chautari and my friend who took me there for the first time. I’m talking about none other than the “State of Fear”. Enthralled as much I was, I found myself to be a different person after watching the documentary. Guilty conscious within me dragged my feet to my way back home. Why? Nothing I might write will make you understand what exactly I’m talking about unless you watch it for yourself.

Each frame made me think of my own country caught up in the desolate war of power. I add my heartfelt gratitude to the one who compiled such a poignant narration of truth. Everything burns and there you stand in awe watching it burn. Then you forget it the next day, like it didn’t happen at all or maybe just a nightmare you’ve had. Without remorse you go back to living your life. It may take us 20 more years of war and devastation, pain and anguish to realize we too have our share for whatever happened in our country and then probably it would be too late. Here I stand accused by myself for the state of our country and you too have a part of the share.

An unforgettable array of characters takes us down a troubling road peopled by perpetrators and victims, and bystanders who only watched as the horror unfolded. But it is also the story of courageous Peruvians who fought to maintain their democracy and persevered in their search for truth and justice.

“State of Fear” is set in the extraordinary deserts, mountains, and jungles of Peru; it is filmed in high-resolution digital video by US and Peruvian professionals and tells a gripping story of escalating violence and repression. Terrorist attacks by the Shining Path guerrillas provoked a military occupation of the countryside. Military Justice replaced civil authority, widespread abuses by the Peruvian Army went unpunished, and the terrorism continued to spread.

Though the whole documentary reflects Peru, it’s only a matter of time when we will be in their shoes and some other country would be watching our ordeal.
Eventually nearly 70,000 civilians died at the hands of the Shining Path and the Peruvian military. Old-fashioned police intelligence finally subdued the terrorist threat but Peruvian leaders continued to use the fear of terrorism to gut the democracy, making Peru a virtual dictatorship where a vast web of corruption replaced the rule of law.

The Shining Path, a Maoist revolutionary army forged by a college professor named Abimael Guzman, set off a bloody reign of terror in rural villages throughout the 1980s in response to social injustice. Abimael Guzman’s Mao-inspired Shining Path guerrillas, sought to either forcibly convert or kill any villagers who did not rally to their cause. The government’s reaction to the guerrillas was equally blind and bloody: non conversant with the language and disdaining the indigenous population, the government saw all the villagers as potential insurgents and the military unleashed wholesale destruction upon villages. People famously elected Alberto Fujimori, impressed by his platform of strong-arm anti-terrorism, but Fujimori, far from restoring democratic institutions, rekindled fears of widespread “terrorism” to continue to exert absolute power, running a government rife with corruption and branding anyone who dared stand up to him as terrorist or traitor.

In 2000, this autocratic regime collapsed beneath the weight of its own corruption and the new democratic government established a “Truth Commission” that opened a door to the past, throwing light on the relentless violence that had engulfed this Andean nation for twenty years. The Truth Commission granted Skylight Pictures access to its extensive testimonial evidence from 20 years of violence, as well as hundreds of hours of rarely seen archival material and thousands of exquisite still photographs that will help bring this timely story to an international audience.

Though the whole documentary reflects Peru, it’s only a matter of time when we will be in their shoes and some other country would be watching our ordeal. Epitome of abuse of power and the lust that drives people is quite striking and just what Nepal is going through right now. Not a soul present there with me would doubt my words when I say, “That’s Nepal ten years from now,” battered and bruised to the core. We all blame one or the other element–Maoists, Government and Monarch– for everything that goes around and stand as meek spectators. Its past time we did something about it and prevent making our country another Peru.

The question still remains, would we rather wait for ten more years or start talking and do whatever it takes to prevent such disgrace of the nation and its people? We’ve already had ten years of fighting. War on terror was declared and nobody has won – or, to be more precise, everybody has lost, what would you do?

Does Nepal have to go through the same circumstance to come out of the peril it is in? How different are we from that nation? The smiling sorrow on the face of each Nepali speaks the fact that everyone fears to even think of. I personally urge each individual who cares for the nation to watch the documentary and take time to care about the grave realities shown and do something about it so that Nepal does not turn into another State of Fear. Let’s not go down the Shining Path and let adversity climb up it.

If you ask me where we stand, well, we are half way down the “Shining Path” and still tumbling down. Is Nepal another “State of Fear”? You decide it for yourselves!!

(A computer engineer by training, Ms. Shah is working as a multimedia designer in Kathmandu. Please send your comments to [email protected] or [email protected])

(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to [email protected])

The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has allowed all commercial banks in the country to import gold under the Open General License (OGL) scheme as per the provision in the Finance Ordinance.

Under the new provision– that is likely to add revenue for the cash-strapped government, any firm or company registered with the concerned agency of the government and has permission to carry out activities related to gold business can import unlimited amount of gold by opening letter of credit or draft and TT, reports said.

In addition to private firms or companies, commercial banks are also allowed to import gold for business purpose.

NRB officials said the new provision was expected to end the existing supply constraints and help encourage gold ornaments exports.

The Kathmandu Post daily quoted Ram Prashad Adhikari, Chief of foreign exchange department of the NRB as saying that the purpose of opening the import of gold is to discourage illicit import of gold from India.

Earlier, the government had categorized gold under the items banned for import and “Jhiti Gunta” (the baggage) rule used to be the main source of gold for domestic consumption.

Under the baggage rule, Nepali citizens returning home after staying abroad for at least six months could bring up to 10 kgs of gold by paying customs duties.

According to statistics, Nepal annually consumes 10-12 tons of gold.

Former Indian ambassador to Nepal KV Rajan has said that poverty, deficit of democracy and lack of development in the South Asian region are the root causes of conflict.

Speaking at a seminar organised by Universal Peace Federation Nepal on “Regional Conflict in South Asia: The Human Dimension” in the capital on Wednesday he said “Whether the Maoist demand for constituent assembly is necessary or not, it is up to the Nepali people to decide, but the real cause of conflict can be attributed to rampant poverty, deficit of democracy and lack of development.”

He further said that King may think that democracy made mistakes in the past 12 years and the parties and the Maoists may think that the King made mistakes, according to reports.

“Everybody may have made mistakes in the past. So, it is time to communicate with each other and have compassion, tolerance and positive views of either side to find peaceful solution to the problem,” he added.

“It seems that everything has failed but I am still hopeful that leaders of the political parties and the civil society will find a solution to the conflict,” he added

Speaking at the same programme, former minister Nilambar Acharya said the two-pillar theory of democracy had been redundant as the King, which is merely a part of the whole, is trying to dominate the whole. Tthe people should be left to decide how they want to resolve the crisis, he added.

Acharya expressed dissatisfaction over the detention of democratic leaders who he said tirelessly tried on their part to bring the Maoists into the political mainstream through the 12-point understanding.

CPN-UML leader Sahana Pradhan said that it is the women and children who have become ultimate sufferers of the decade-old conflict.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a case in the Special Court against the then assistant manager of the Rastriya Banijya Bank, Doti branch, Kailash Prasad Shrestha, on charges of embezzling property worth Rs 4.428 million.

The commission has charged Shrestha with committing irregularities by making fake documents and using spurious signature to take out amounts from the accounts of district education office and DDC during his tenure in the Bank from 1998 to 2004.

The government attorney on Wednesday directed the police to initiate investigation against the chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Surya Nath Upadhyay on the citizenship scandal, a newspaper report said on Thursday.

The attorney office has asked the police to record Upadhyay’s statement on the case, reports Kantipur daily.

Upadhyay was implicated in the forgery when it was revealed that he had recommended the citizenship for Ramechhap dweller Lok Bahadur Bohara who had submitted false details in 1993, when he was a water resource secretary.

There has been no comment from the CIAA or Upadhyay himself regarding the controversy as yet.

Meanwhile, police have misplaced the original application submitted to the Kathmandu District Administration Office (DAO) by victim Tirtha Bahadur Bohara.

The latter had requested the DAO to cancel the citizenship.

Police mentioned in the file submitted Wednesday to the government attorney that the original application was missing due to some error.

The government attorney office has directed the police to investigate lapses and punish the culprits responsible for misplacing the original documents.

Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) released the final 13-member squad for the ICC-Continental Challenge Cup to be held in Hiendhoek, Namibia from March 23-26.

According to press release issued by CAN, the selection committee headed by Bijaya Kumar Sharma has retained Binod Dad as a caption with Shakti Gauchan his deputy. The committee has brought two new faces for this tour while off-spinner Sanjam Regmi, U-19 vice captain Paras Khadka and pacer Avaya Rana missed the national squad.

According to Nepalese Cricket website- cricket.com.np, Paras chose to opt out of the team for his studies and all-rounder Aamir, who played for Nepal in the 2000 U-19 Cricket World Cup has been playing professional cricket in England and Scotland.

Dhirendra Chand, opener Paresh Lohani, U-19 captain Kanishka Chaugai, leg-spinner Raj Kumar Pradhan, Sharad Vesawkar, Gyanendra Malla, wicket-keeper Manoj Katuwal and Raju Basnet are all in the team. Roy Dias will be the coach while Sri Niwas Rana has been appointed the manager.

Team Captain Binod Das said that the match is do-or-die for Nepal as the winner qualifies for the eight-team ICC Inter Continental Cup. He added, “Nepal must win the match to qualify while a draw would be enough for Namibia for qualification as they are positioned above us in the rankings.”

The team are leaving on Saturday, March 18.

A book “Ocean in a Drop Yoga, Meditation and Life in the Himalayas” by Swami Chandresh was pre-released by Everest Book Shop at a function yesterday.

At the pre-release, Swami Chandresh said that the learning of western scientists has come to our schools but wisdom of Buddha was yet to reach our academic institutes. Swami Chandresh also informed about the central issues discussed in the book.

A press release issued by the organizers said the book includes teachings of Swami Chandresh who is not only a renowned master of Yoga but also an educationist, poet, musician and a painter. The book is published by Nirala Publications, New Delhi,

Swami Chandresh lived for more than two decades in a cottage on top of Mount Shivapuri of the Himalayan hill ranges that surround Kathmandu Valley. Currently he resides at Budhanilkantha where he has built an Ashram where he runs a school for the children, the statement adds.

The book has covered the major issues and questions related to his yoga, meditation, education and spiritual quest in human life.