Hours after withdrawing the blockade of the capital and all district headquarters, the CPN (Maoist) on late Wednesday night announced a unilateral ceasefire for three months with immediate effect.
Issuing a statement on Wednesday, Maoist Chairman Prachanda said the truce was for facilitating the ongoing “people’s struggle” for a constituent assembly and a democratic republic “so as to lead the struggle to a historic conclusion” and for encouraging the parliamentary political parties to announce unconditional constituent assembly.
The Maoists had announced a similar truce in September last year and later extended it by a month.
The Maoists withdrew the blockade of the Kathmandu valley and other district headquarters on Wednesday considering the appeal of Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala to do so.
Earlier, in a statement, Koirala has urged the Maoists to call off the general strike in the wake of the new political development of the country.
The SPA selected Koirala for the post of Prime Minister of the reinstated HoR.
On Tuesday, the rebels had announced blockade of the capital and all district headquarters until there was an announcement of unconditional election for constituent assembly expressing dissatisfaction over the royal proclamation to revive the dissolved House of Representatives (HoR), instead of holding the election of the constituent assembly.
However, the statement said other peaceful protest programs would continue as usual. nepalnews.com pb Apr 27 06