Kathmandu, August 30:

On the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared, the National Human Rights Commission has urged the government and the Maoists to halt cases of disappearance and abduction. It urged both the warring factions in conflict to respect human rights and international humanitarian law. Both the state and non-state actors have been involved in disappearing individuals ever since the insurgency began in 1996. The state has failed to make public the status of all 888 cases of disappearance registered at the commission, said an NHRC statement. The status of 98 individuals abducted by the Maoists is unknown.

Meanwhile, the Maoists released Kul Bahadur Karki, a civilian, who had been abducted along with an army man, Thug Bahadur Khatri, today. The two were abducted from a passenger bus on Sunday. Mohan Thapa, a local, quoted Karki as saying that they were held for a day and questioned at length before Karki was released at Sibubari in Saptari. Human rights organisations in Saptari and relatives have urged the Maoists to release Khatri as well.