Jhapa, August 30 :

The convenor of the government talks team and Home Minister, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, today said the government is committed to holding free and fair elections to a constituent assembly.

Addressing regional-level party cadres here, Sitaula said the government will ultimately succeed in its mission.

Sitaula, who is visiting his hometown for the first time after being appointed the home minister, met martyr Suraj Bishwas’ family in his constituency. He also attended a regional meeting organised by party cadres of constituency No 3 in the district development committee meeting hall in Chandragadhi. Addressing the meeting, he said the government is now busy drafting an interim constitution and trying to resolving the arms management issue.

Stating that the people is the sovereign authority of the country, he said: “Restoration of total democracy and peaceful and prosperous Nepal is everyone’s dream. Some differences have surfaced among the political parties, but those will be sorted out soon.”

On the re-establishment of police posts and area police offices that had been destroyed during the insurgency, he said government will extend all cooperation to the districts to re-build the offices.

The Home Minister is scheduled to return to the capital on September 1.

Interim govt by Oct 17: Gyawali:

Nawalparasi: A member of the government’s talks team and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Pradip Gyawali, today said the country would see an interim government by October 17.

Gyawali was talking to journalists after inaugurating the 9km-long Sunwal-Mahalbari road in Nawalparasi.

Responding to a journalist’s query, he said: “The issues of interim constitution and arms management will be finalised during the summit talks between the government and the Maoists next week.”

Stating that the interim constitution submitted by the Interim Constitution Drafting Committee will be given final shape in the summit meeting, he said: “From now on, Nepalis will not have to shed blood in a conflict.”

Addressing the inaugural function, MP Chandra Mani Kharal said that Sunwal will soon be declared a municipality.

Disabled persons greeted Gyawali in Sunwal with black flags in the afternoon today. They were protesting against the government’s failure to include their representative in the statute drafting committee.