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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) bill should be endorsed on the basis of political consensus.

A Parliamentary Party meeting of the CPN (Maoist Center) held in Singhadurbar on Monday morning, party Chairman Dahal mentioned that the Bill related to Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission would be endorsed by consensus in this session.

“All the people will be benefited if the TRC bill is endorsed on the basis of consensus as much as possible. We should go through the same process,” he said.

Chairman Dahal directed the party leaders and cadres to present themselves ideologically against those who are against the federal system.

Saying that federal democracy was brought in the country with their active participation, he issued a directive to play a constructive role in favor of the system.

“We have brought this system. It is our responsibility to protect and strengthen this system. That is why, we should present ourselves ideologically against the people who are against this system,” he further said.

Prime Minister Dahal also directed the party lawmakers to play a strong role in favor of the people in the Parliament.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal told the people's representatives of Gorkha that the operation of Gorakhkali Rubber Udhyog and construction of Budhigandaki Hydropower Project would be taken ahead immediately.

In a meeting with the mayors, deputy mayors and other people's representatives of various rural municipalities of Gorkha district who reached Baluwatar on Sunday evening, PM Dahal said the promises made during the election would be fulfilled, informed Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality Chair, Bishnu Prasad Bhatta.

At the meeting with Prime Minister Dahal, the chiefs of the rural municipalities briefed about the situation in their respective municipalities and the plans and needs of development works, he said. "We put forth the issues on behalf of the rural municipality with the Prime Minister in the discussion," Bhatta said, adding, "He expressed his views focusing on the issues raised by the people's representatives."

During the discussion, the Prime Minister said that the construction of the national pride project, Budhigandaki Hydropower, is to be taken forward immediately.

"The Prime Minister is committed to expedite the construction of Budhigandaki project soon," he said, adding, "We are confident that the construction of the project will gain momentum now."

Bhatta informed that the closed Gorakhkali rubber industry located at Deurali of Gorkha Municipality-13 is also going to be operational soon. "The Prime Minister is planning to take forward the closed rubber industry on a public-private partnership model," he said, adding, "Based on our conversation, the prime minister is thinking of running the industry in partnership with the private sector in a way the land ownership will remain with the government." 

The Prime Minister also pledged to allocate a budget for the development of roads and other physical infrastructures in Gorkha in the coming fiscal year in a way that would be improved more than in the current fiscal year 2080÷81 BS, he said.

District Coordination Committee Gorkha Chief Mohan Bahadur Thapa Magar, deputy mayor Lila Pariyar, representatives of Bhimsen Thapa Rural Municipality, Gandaki Rural Municipality, Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality, Ajirkot Rural Municipality, Chumnubri Rural Municipality, Gorkha Municipality, Palungtar Municipality, Dharche Rural Municipality and Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipality, among others, reached Baluwatar to meet the Prime Minister.

Sun Haiyan, deputy minister of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party visited Nepal from Jan 26-29. Among other engagements, she held a meeting with second-rung leaders of the national parties represented in the federal parliament. At the meeting, she said that some forces were trying to spoil Nepal-China relations. Sun didn’t name names but she was hinting at the US and India. 

Of late, bilateral exchanges between the two countries have increased. China has also become more vocal and loud in Kathmandu. At the same time, India and the US have also expedited bilateral exchanges with Nepal at multiple levels. Meanwhile, the current government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal is grappling to maintain cordial ties with all three powers. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is led by Nepali Congress’s Narayan Prakash Saud who is an inexperienced politician in the realm of foreign policy and international relations. This article delves into how the current government is dealing with India, China and the US. 

India

With India, the Dahal-led government has adopted the approach of focusing more on development and economic partnership. Foreign Ministry officials say the signing of power trade agreement with India to export up to 10,000 MW electricity is a key remarkable development in bilateral relations. The agreement, they say, has also created a conducive environment for foreign investment in Nepal’s hydropower sector. Another significant development linked to this deal is India’s nod to allow Nepal to export 40 MW electricity to Bangladesh, which is likely to be operationalized from July this year. After a long time, the dream of regional power has been materialized.

Similarly, officials claim several connectivity and other bilateral projects are moving ahead, and the government has been able to secure Indian support for survivors of the Jajarkot earthquake. India has also increased the grant amount by InRs 1bn to be provided to Nepal under the fiscal year 2024-25. In the new provision, India will be providing Nepal with a total grant of InRs 6.50bn.  

As far as the long-standing issues such as border disputes and the report of Eminent Persons’ Group is concerned, it seems that the present government has adopted a different approach. The Dahal government is unlikely to push India to receive the EPG report. 

As for the Treaty of Peace and Friendship 1950, according to a top diplomat, the present government is of the view that there should be an all-party consensus within the country before approaching India. On border disputes, the government reckons that both political and bureaucratic levels should work simultaneously. 

Speaking at a program a few days back, Foreign Minister Saud said that border disputes between Nepal and India should be resolved on the basis of political consensus. “We have a joint technical committee in this regard. The committee should be activated after which the leadership of both countries should resolve this problem diplomatically based on the facts,” he said. 

China

After the formation of the Dahal-led government, bilateral engagement and exchanges between Nepal and China have increased notably. China seems serious about expediting the works of some projects, such as Ring Road expansion and maintenance of Araniko Highway, among others. Similarly, the two sides have started the paperwork to expedite the construction of cross-border transmission lines while preparations have begun to construct an agro industrial park in Chitwan and Gorkha. 

Over the past few months, both air and road connectivity between the two countries have widened. But the current government still faces the criticism of giving less priority to China, particularly concerning the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects. Beijing has been pressing Kathmandu to sign the BRI implementation plan at the earliest, but the Dahal-led government has not shown much enthusiasm for it.  

A few days back, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha said at an event that Nepal and China were working to finalize the BRI implementation plan. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made it clear that Nepal will not take loans from China to realize the BRI projects.

 With big projects, such as those envisioned by the BRI, showing no signs of progressing, China has of late directed its focus on small projects in Nepal, ones that could immediately bring changes in people’s life. A senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office says as the Nepali Congress has been dictating the conduct of foreign policy, there has been little progress in regard to bilateral partnership with China.

While Beijing is pleased with the position taken by Prime Minister Dahal and the senior leaders of major parties against the independence of Taiwan, China still seems wary of the growing influence of Western countries in Nepal.

US

Foreign Minister Saud says there has been substantial improvement in the relationship with the US. For some years after 2018, the Nepal-US ties mainly revolved around the issue of ratifying the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) through parliament. The much controversial issue has now been resolved following the parliamentary endorsement of the MCC Nepal Compact, but some technical details are still there. 

In the MCC, rising cost of the proposed projects is one of the key issues which needs to be resolved through bilateral talks and negotiations. Nepal has already made it clear to the American side that it is not in a position of investing more money in the projects.  

In the past, the US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS), seen by many as a tool to curb China’s growing influence, had also impacted the Nepal-US relationship. But the American side has managed to downplay the IPS concerns, though some of its components are under implementation. 

During his visit to the US, Foreign Minister Saud held talks with his American counterpart Antony Blinken and other high-level government officials. Along with increasing the volume of bilateral assistance, American private companies have shown interest to invest in Nepal’s tourism, agriculture, medical and other areas, and they are seeking an appropriate environment. In 2023, there was a series of visits from the American side. In the meeting with Saud, Blinken said Nepal is a valued partner in the Indo-Pacific region which has given a clear message that America accords high priority to its relationship with Nepal.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pledged to further protect and promote the knowledge and skills of indigenous nationalities, utilizing them to enhance national income.

In his address to a program organized on the third anniversary of the Indigenous Nationalities Commission here today, the Prime Minister assured that the government would exert maximum efforts to inscribe the cultural heritages of indigenous nationalities in UNESCO and implement the Indigenous and Tribal People's Convention.

Acknowledging the resource constraints faced by the Commission and a delay in establishing provincial offices as demanded by the relevant Act, the Prime Minister promised necessary initiatives to address the absence of proportional representation of indigenous nationalities in decision-making levels.

The formation of the Commission was a result of the struggles and sacrifices made by the indigenous community against the prolonged suppression and discrimination by the then State authority, the Prime Minister said, recognizing that such achievements were hard-won. He also praised the Commission's role in building an inclusive and just Nepal.

The establishment of the Commission aimed to promote the identity and representation of the indigenous population in the state apparatus, utilizing their skills and experiences to contribute to the development of a prosperous Nepal, he added.