Nepalgunj, August 16:

Activists of the CPN (Maoist) and the seven-party alliance (SPA) of the Karnali zone still do not trust each other, according to Kapil Shrestha, a member of the code of conduct national monitoring team. He was speaking after his return from an observation tour of Mugu and Jumla districts in the Karnali zone.

“Parties do not trust the Maoists. The Maoists treat the parties in a negative way,” he said.

The ties between the SPA and the CPN (Maoist) have not improved, Shrestha quoted locals as saying.

The team had left for Karnali through Nepalgunj on August 4. It returned to Kathmandu today following a visit to Mugu.

VDC secretaries and rangers, who were displaced from Karnali, have not been able to return to the villages due to the Maoists, Shrestha said, adding the rebels were still collecting donations in villages and district headquarters. “They have been collecting donations in the name of sister organisations of the CPN (Maoist).”

“People still fear the Maoists and cannot speak openly,” he said, adding neither the Maoists nor the SPA were following the code of conduct. Even the Maoist leaders admit their local militia are not under their control, he said.