Kathmandu, October 7, 2005

A “gloomy” troika from the European Union (EU) left Kathmandu “very depressed” and at the same time wondering aloud if Nepal is not headed toward a political collapse, a euphemism for “failed state.” And, the person who contributed, rather handsomely, to the team’s pessimistic disposition is none other than the ace exponent of self-centrism as a political philosophy – the dapper first vice president Dr Tulsi Giri. Six days from now, on Vijaya Dashami, the EU guys led by Tom Phillips from the Whitehall will present, for EU policy articulation, the mission’s assessment of the political situation in Nepal to the Working Group for Asia in Brussels. The Group will be told that the “prospects aren’t so bright in Nepal,” a European diplomatic functionary based in Kathmandu confided to The Himalayan Times today. The troika went back convinced that the government, despite claims to the contrary, does not have control over a substantial part of the country. Worst still is the fact the state institutions are “weakening” and this is amply illustrated by the large-scale sense to the effect that when the security chips are down “no protection from the state is guaranteed.” The EU delegation tends to attribute the growing lack of faith on the state’s ability to deal with the security and development issues to the “lack of local governments” on the one hand and the political leadership’s downright refusal to “separate the process from the content.”

Former AG accuses government of violating rights, court orders

Kathmandu, October 7, 2005

Former Attorney General Megharaj Bahadur Bista today strongly criticised the government for violating human rights as well as the Supreme Court orders. Citing several examples of violation of the apex court orders, Bista said the government was blatantly violating the rule of law. “Human rights can only be protected in a democracy, not other types of regimes,” he added. Bista said the government attorneys had to advice the government property, regarding the protection of the rights of the people and the use of any law. He was speaking at a programme organised to launch “Nyadeep” journal, being published by the Society of Government Attorneys. Supreme Court Justices, former Attorney Generals, senior government attorneys and high-ranking police officers had attended the programme. He also cited the warnings of international rights bodies regarding the violation of the rule of law by the government. Bista said that arresting someone form the Supreme Court premises was a serious violation of the verdict of SC. “Why did not the government prosecute anyone during the period of the illegal detention, but only when h/she was released after the apex court order?” he asked.