Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, March 2:

Mamta Sharma, the wife of Arghakhanchi’s acting Chief District Officer Birendra Nath Sharma, and Geeta Dhakal, wife of the district’s Local Development Officer Sudershan Dhakal, today once again appealed to the Maoists to release their respective husbands unconditionally. They also urged the rebels to respect national and international humanitarian laws and the Geneva Convention. The Maoists had abducted acting CDO Sharma and LDO Dhakal on January 16.

Addressing a press conference at the Reporters’ Club, Mamta and Geeta, accompanied by their children and relatives, said they have “lost their patience” as 45 days have passed and the appeals of the government, human rights activists and the media has gone unheeded.

Noted rights activists warned that they would be compelled to take strong measures against the rebels if they did not release the officials unconditionally. “They (rebels) have set some conditions to the government for Sharma and Dhakal’s release. But this is unacceptable. We cannot press the government to accept their conditions,” said Padma Ratna Tuladhar, who is making efforts to get them released. The rebels have set a condition that the government release four Maoists, who have already served their jail terms, and make public the whereabouts of four others. He said that they had earlier talked to the Chief of Army Staff Pyar Jung Thapa and urged the government to “fulfil its responsibility.”

However, a three-member committee has been formed to rescue their release. The president of Nepal Human Rights Organisation, Sudeep Pathak, said the committee had earlier left for Rolpa in search of the abductees but the rebels had moved elsewhere. Quoting the search team, Pathak assured the family members that the abductees are “safe and their health condition sound.”

Pathak said the rights activists were in regular touch with Home Minister Dan Bahadur Shahi and Home Secretary Chandi Prasad Shrestha. Pathak said they had proposed “something” to the Home Minister but refused to give details.

Another rights activist Malla K Sundar said the government should take initiative and condemned the Maoists for taking civilians hostage to get their demands fulfilled.