Pun exhibits his desire to act again as facilitator

September 24, 2003
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Kathmandu: Former Minister Narayan Singh Pun is once again in the news.

Mr. Pun is the one who very tactfully brought the Maoists rebels to the negotiating table during January this year when he was serving in the cabinet of Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand.

Rumors had it that Mr. Pun went extra miles in having been able to convince the firebrand and the radical Maoists to talks and managed a cease-fire in January itself.

Former Minister Narayan Singh Pun basically a pilot turned congress abandoned the congress party under Girija when he concluded that his political career will never see a height until he remained under arrogant Girija and thus very pleasingly decided to form a party of his own—the Samata Party.

Assessing Mr. Pun as a hard working and honest nationalist, the King inducted him in the Chand’s cabinet.

At a time when the political parties were up against the King’s October 4 moves, the King presumably instructed then minister Pun to initiate a sort of dialogue in between the rebels and the government of that time.

Pun exhibited his courage and proved his political acumen when he not only convinced the rebels but also brought them to the table.

Mr. Pun’s subtle diplomacy yielded positive results indeed but the process which he had started got a stumbling block when Chand was suddenly replaced by Prime Minister Thapa and the man who managed a ceasefire in the country and brought the rebels to the talks was found missing in the new cabinet formed by Thapa.

With the sudden failure of the third round of talks between the Maoists and the men in the Thapa government, Pun apparently exhibited his desire to serve the country once again provided the State approved his political acumen.

That Pun is yet to be honored by the State, he still is hopeful that he could bring back the rebels once again to the table.

In effect, if one were to believe Mr. Pun’s recent disclosures, one is forced to conclude that things had moved smoothly and that the Maoists too had almost accepted the King’s utility in the country and that the rebels were tentatively become accommodative vis-a-vis the matters pertaining to the demands of the constituent assembly.

If Mr. Pun is speaking the truth then one is forced to question as to which factors, albeit political ones, damaged the peace-talks altogether? Question could also be raised as to what prompted the rebels to harden their already softened stand vis-à-vis the monarchy and the constituent assembly?

Albeit, the Maoists then too had not softened their stance regarding the Nepali army. In effect, they wished and apparently continue to wish that their own people’s army be assimilated into the mainstream army. The State then rejected the rebels’ demand and perhaps continues to reject it yet.

Be that as it may, what makes Mr. Pun so confident that he could once again bring the rebels to the talk-table? The fact is also that the Maoists have yet to clarify their stance on whatever Mr. Pun said last week in front of the Nepali press. Should this mean that some technical problems marred the talks this round? Or is it that the Maoists were told to discontinue the talks once again and resume their acts of violence in order to bend the government to their declared demands?

What is clear from their resumption of spate of violence is that the rebels now wish to confront the state with a position of strength. They apparently feel that talking with the old regime was futile unless they presented themselves from a renewed position of strength.

What if former minister Narayan Singh Pun is offered a chance and allowed to act like as a facilitator? At least Mr. Pun is some what different than the previous “politically biased” and “duffer” facilitators.

What is the harm to the establishment in elevating the ranks of Mr. Pun as a minister in the expected cabinet expansion? Prime Minister Thapa should think twice.