INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, AUGUST 1The three major political parties have reached an agreement on contentious issues to conclude the
transitional justice process as per the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the government and the then-rebellion CPN
Taskforce's meeting ongoing to forge consensus on transitional justice
Declining popularity of political Leaders: An unfortunate phenomenon
The taskforce, comprising leaders from the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and CPN (Maoist Centre), has
agreed on pressing issues related to transitional justice, such as the interpretation of conflict-era cases, relief, compensation,
reparation, and justice delivery.Transitional justice has been a long-pending issue in Nepal's peace process, garnering keen interest from
both national and international communities
Maoist Centre leader and taskforce head Janardan Sharma shared that the major political parties have resolved the critical issues of the
peace process and signed a four-point agreement
"Following rigorous discussions, we have concluded the four contentious issues," he stated.
According to the agreement,
intentional or arbitrary killings will be defined as murder; families of security personnel who lost their lives in the conflict will
receive relief, compensation, and reparation, and a similar scheme is planned for disqualified combatants.Additionally, if the victim does
not consent to a conflict-era case, it will be referred to the Attorney General
Such cases will now be adjudicated based on the existing principles of criminal justice, but in line with transitional justice.The
taskforce's report will be submitted to the top leaders and forwarded after the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee of the parliament
Taskforce member Sharma expressed satisfaction with the achievement.Home Minister and taskforce member Ramesh Lekhak emphasized that the
political parties came together to resolve the remaining tasks of the peace process
Now, we are on the same footing to finalize these issues," he added.UML Chief Whip and taskforce member Mahesh Bartaula stated that legal
hurdles would be cleared to conclude the peace process
"It is a positive development
It is neither a win nor a loss, but a resolution to finalize the peace process," he observed.According to Bartaula, the agreement is based
on the principles of transitional justice and national and international standards, with victims' concerns at the center
Decisions made by the Supreme Court have also been considered.The agreement aims to bring together victims and perpetrators in a way that
prevents future conflicts
Victims will be ensured justice, and perpetrators will be held accountable.This agreement on a significant backlog of the peace process has
been seen as a measure to alleviate conflict-era wounds
Seventeen years after the CPA was signed, the major parties have finally reached a deal to fully settle the peace process.Despite the
formation of two transitional justice mechanisms and the appointment of officials multiple times since the CPA, political differences had
previously hindered the finalization of the peace process.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com