At last, the top leaders of the four major parties represented in the Special Committee of the Constitutional-Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee have broken the deadlock on the vexed issue of demarcating the boundaries of the Pradeshes and resolved some other thorny issues setting in motion final work on the constitution making, with August-end target in view. The 6-Pradesh model may not be to the full satisfaction of each of the parties which signed the compromise. The agreement has also included some of the suggestions collected recently. A sizable majority had expressed doubt about federal structure itself while a good number called for a smaller number of Pradeshes along with the north-south delineation of the Pradeshes. To some extent, this latter suggestion has been accepted. Other changes will include removal from Fundamental Rights the right to become separate from one's religion, making some alterations in the language of the Preamble, and President and Vice President having to be from two different genders or communities.

Constitution is a document of political compromise and should make honest attempts to respond positively to the aspirations of all stakeholders

After seven years had elapsed without the CA making a constitution and with fears growing of the second CA too going the way of the first CA, this compromise should be viewed in a positive light. Some other thorny issues settled include issuing citizenship by descent to a child born of parents either of them being a Nepali national. The majority public opinion favouring direct election of the chief executive of the country and other top elective posts at various levels has been given consolation prize by making the ward chairman directly electable. The Army's suggestion that the Chief of Army be included in the National Defence Council has been accepted. The inclusion in the Upper House of specific numbers of women, Dalits, differently-abled persons or members of minority community are all a welcome step.

With these amendments made Nepal's new constitution is now expected to be more inclusive. There are still several unsettled issues, such as what to do with the hasty decision to make Nepal a secular state from the pre-existing Hindu state. This issue could perhaps be put to rest once and for all through a referendum, at the same time making tough laws to make religious conversions from indigenous religions illegal and punishable. The question of election threshold for any political party to be eligible to have proportional seats is also highly important. Three to five percent is best, as is also usual in most other countries. There is still time for refining the draft further, incorporating sensible suggestions from any quarter. Madhesi communities and other ethnic groups have expressed disenchantments over the way the provinces have been carved out and are planning to launch protests. This means the times ahead do not appear to be as good even after deciding the number and boundaries of the constitution. Constitution is a document of political compromise and should make honest attempts to respond positively to the aspirations of all stakeholders to the extent possible.

Rescue tourism

After the devastating earthquake on April 25 and its aftershocks the tourism industry is in doldrums. Nepal has wrongly been portrayed as an unsafe place to travel in. The fact is that large parts of the country suffered little damage. Famous tourist trekking sites, such as the Annapurna circuit, remained untouched. Yet we have been experiencing a decline in the number of tourists visiting. The need now is to spread the word around that Nepal is safe for tourism with its assets like nature and culture. Thus, the promotion of Nepal as a safe place to visit as well as climb the lofty mountains by Peter Athans, considered to be one of the foremost high altititude mountaineers who has already climbed Mount Everest seven times, as a safe destination for visitors should be appreciated.

More such promotion will be needed to lift Nepal’s tourism out of its present difficulty. Over three months have elapsed since the killer earthquakes, and now the resilient Nepali people are engaged in rebuilding the country. Therefore, all necessary measures should be taken to win back the trust of the tourists from around the world.