The CPN (UML) on Sunday called upon the CPN (Maoist) to stop violence and announce ceasefire at the earliest.

The UML made its call to the rebels after the meeting of the Standing Committee today. The party said the violent movement being waged by the Maoists had put the lives of the people to greater difficulty.

A statement issued by the party after the meeting said the ongoing Maoist violence had also been “badly affecting the movement of the seven political parties for total democracy, sustainable peace and progress.”

The party also took the government to task for executing killings and arbitrary arrests every day and creating an environment of fear in the country. Incidents of violence involving the state have been rising in the country of late, according to the UML.

The UML also condemned the manhandling of over 100 innocent villagers in Routeli Bichuwa area of Kanchanpur by the security forces and said that the incident was the latest example of ‘state terror’.

The Standing Committee meeting, which was chaired by acting general secretary Amrit Bohara, also discussed the upcoming protest program announced by the parties in the second week of April, leaders said.