Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 18:

A seven-member panel headed by the CPN-UML standing committee member, KP Sharma Oli, has come up with a draft proposal to resolve the Maoist problem peacefully, a CPN-UML central committee member told this daily today. The proposal was submitted to the CPN-UML stand-in general secretary, Jhala Nath Khanal, a week ago. Khanal will table it for discussions in the party’s central committee meeting, which is expected to take place within the second week of May. The draft, titled Proposal to Resolve the National Problems, has analysed the political scenario after the King’s February 1 move and suggested ways to end the Maoist problem peacefully, the central member said, requesting anonymity.

He said that some of the panel members had also suggested holding dialogues with the King to end the political deadlock. “But there is still a debate among the central committee members about the prospect of holding talks with the King.” He added that the proposal would be forwarded to the five agitating parties to clear out any confusion and suspicion among them in the course of agitation. On the resolution of the Maoist problem, the draft proposal, he said, is “closer” to the nine-point roadmap approved by the party’s fifth central committee meeting, which was held before the CPN-UML joined the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led coalition last year.

Standing committee members Ashok Kumar Rai, Bishnu Poudel, and central committee members Subhas Nembang, Bhim Rawal, Rajendra Shrestha, and Urmila Aryal are the panel members. Meanwhile, leaders of the five agitating political parties are engaged in formulating a common political agenda that would guide the agitation, it is learnt. The Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Nepali Congress (Democratic), Janamorcha Nepal, and the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) have forged an alliance for the restoration of democratic process.