Successful Peace Process

Parmeshwar Devkota

President Ramchandra Paudel has authenticated the bill to amend the Enforced Disappearances Enquiries, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2024. No sooner had the President authenticated the bill than the United States of America and ten leading European nations welcomed the move and expressed their solidarity for the conclusion of peace process.  After it is published in the Nepal Gazette, it will come into force. 

Then, as envisioned by the law, different bodies will be formed, and the process of healing of the wounds of the conflict will begin. Nonetheless, this process will be difficult to many people because it will remind them of atrocities meted out to their loved ones. They expect that the perpetrators will brought to book. The wise and tolerant people should garner their strength to compromise and leave the past behind with a conviction that their loved ones had scarified their lives for the republican set-up that we have been exercising now.

It is because, the Maoist insurgency, which began on 13 February 1996 with the clear agenda of overthrowing the age-old monarchy and establishing a just society, accomplished its task. Though the Nepali Maoist Party could not achieve their total goals, the Chinese Maoists succeeded in their mission under the leadership of Chairman Mao Zedong. The Maoist party certainly attained the set political, social and cultural gains by making alliance with the other leftist forces and Nepali Congress. So, the agenda of the Maoists to overthrow the Shah Dynasty, and establish the Federal Democratic Republic Nepal prevailed.

It is one of rare cases in which leftist and rightist forces joined hands to overthrow the regressive force - monarchy. It is a matter of sadness that some of the prominent leaders and cadres who had fought vehemently for change, are found involved in scandals such as Bhutanese refugee scam and other corruption cases. On the other side, the security forces of the country have laid down their lives for safeguarding the existing system. Therefore, we should not forget the path show by late Pushpa Lal Shrestha. We should also not forget the path of peace carved by our present day progressive and democratic leaders.

If we could not be successful to establish peace, we would have faced the fate of the people of South Sudan and Syria. If we had followed the path shown by ardent Hindu scholar Yogi Naraharinath, who never tired of campaigning for Ram Rajya, we would be similar to Taliban of today’s Afghanistan. Because, the rule of Ram Rajya would be parallel to theological rule of Taliban of Afghanistan.  

As the Islamic fundamentalist group, commonly known as Taliban, returned to power in Kabul in 2021, it did two things: first, it declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, second, it banned women from offices and girls from schools to take formal education. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has published a report that 1.4 million Afghan girls have been prohibited from taking formal school education. Therefore, our assertive and visionary leaders have saved the country from plunging into a theological state.