As the Maoist enters the Parliament in Nepal, it was hoped as the beginning of the final stage of the delicate and unique experiment of ending the bloody conflict and establishing sustainable peace. However, a curfew has been re-imposed in a town in southern Nepal following further violence sparked by the death of a 16-year-old boy last Friday. Eyewitnesses said the teenager killed was among demonstrators when Maoists shot him trying to pass a road blockade. The protesters are unhappy because they say the people in southern areas of Nepal have been discriminated against. They allege the country’s new constitution does nothing for them.
After securing the process by drawing the violent Maoist insurgency into open politics and integrating the rebels into the political mainstream, it has no doubt spelled out the roadmap for a new Nepal. However, the events like this can prove fatal to the country that is trying to evolve from its stumbling past.
The paper work is now over. Real work lies ahead. There is no time for dilly-dallying. If the Constituent Assembly elections are to be held by mid-June 2007, as has been agreed, then swift action will be required. In short, the country stands on the edge of a historic changing and both the government and the rebels hold the key to the peace process ultimately crushing the path of confrontation and finally treading towards reconciliation.
Via: BBC
