Gen Z Groups hand draft agreement to PM, call for governance reforms

Kathmandu, Nov 14: Various Gen Z groups, including the Gen Z Movement Alliance, Council of Gen Z, and Gen Z Front, met Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Friday and submitted a draft agreement for signing between the State and Gen Z sides. 

During the meeting, they handed over to the Prime Minister the proposed agreement between the protestors and the government regarding the mandate of the Gen Z movement, led by the Unified Gen Z, according to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

The draft states that the citizens killed during the September 8-9 protests should be declared martyrs, with prompt relief provided to the families of the martyrs and to the injured ones. It also calls for a policy framework to address the long-term needs of the injured and the families of the martyrs, and for the establishment of an independent commission with the participation from the martyrs' families to oversee these issues.

“The protesters and ordinary citizens who were killed during the brutal repression, violence, and police suppression by the previous government should be recognized as martyrs,” the draft demands, seeking an impartial investigation into the incidents that occurred during the protest. It further urges the government to direct the Investigation Commission to act swiftly and impartially.

In addition, the draft calls for ensuring proportional representation of women, Dalits, indigenous groups, Madhesi, Tharus, Muslims, people with disabilities, minorities, communities with diverse gender identities, as well as farmers, workers, and economically marginalized populations in the Council of Ministers and other government bodies.

Also emphasized in the draft proposal includes the implementation of transitional justice principles in relation to the Gen Z movement.

The Gen Z groups have also expressed commitments to preventing illegal surveillance and the misuse of citizens' digital data by the state or third parties. They are calling for comprehensive legal, technical, and infrastructural reforms to safeguard privacy.

Additionally, the groups have unveiled plans to organize nationwide public discussions regarding the establishment of a directly elected executive head of the state or a republican system of governance.

The document includes the signatures of Uparjan Chamling, Samana Lawati, Raksha Bam, Sangken Yamphu Rai, Sudan Gurung, Puroshottam Yadav, Khemraj Saud, Afsana Banu, Padip Pandey, Aditya Acharya, Janak Chudal Pokharel, Yujan Raj Bhandari, Rizan Rana Magar, Amrita Ban, Laxmi Ghimire, Ritu Khadka, Ajay Karki, Monik Niraula, Manisha Khanal, Manisha Chaudhary, and Shiba Yadav.  (RSS)