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A meeting of the House of Representatives has been postponed till 3 pm tomorrow.

The Parliament meeting has been postponed for tomorrow after the top leaders’ meeting called by Speaker Devraj Ghimire to find prompt measures to end the House deadlock failed to reach consensus.

The meeting called for 1 pm today was also postponed for 4 pm.

Speaker Ghimire had taken initiatives to resolve the ongoing House crisis from Sunday.

The second meeting of senior leaders of the major political parties was held in Baneshwor after the first meeting which took place at Singha Durbar ended without making a concrete decision.

Along with Speaker Ghimire, Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba were present in the meeting.

A meeting of the senior leaders of three major political parties including the Speaker of the House of Representatives held to find prompt measures to clear Parliament impasse ended inconclusively.

The meeting took place at the Speaker’s office in Singha Durbar this afternoon.

Nepali Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said that a positive discussion was held in the meeting.

He said that the second phase of the meeting was scheduled to take place in the Federal Parliament Building in New Baneshwor today itself.

Lekhak said that preparations are underway to postpone the Parliament meeting scheduled for 1 pm for 4 pm today.

The main opposition CPN-UML has been demanding formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the latest gold smuggling case.

The UML lawmakers have been warning that they would not allow the House proceed with its business until the high-level probe committee is formed.

The National Assembly meeting has been postponed till Wednesday following obstruction from the main opposition CPN-UML.

As soon as the meeting began, UML lawmaker Dil Kumari Rawal demanded formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the recent gold smuggling case.

She said that the government is not serious towards investigating the gold smuggling case.

“The CPN-UML has been obstructing the Parliament demanding formation of a high-level probe committee. But the government is not serious towards it,” Rawal said.

She alleged that the government is involved in the smuggling.

Rawal claimed that the smuggling of a huge cache of gold would not have been possible had there not been the involvement of the government.

She said that they would not allow the House proceed with its business until the government answers the questions raised by the opposition.

After lawmaker Rawal put forth her opinion, UML lawmakers stood from their respective seats as a gesture of protest.

Later, Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina informed that the meeting has been postponed till 1 pm on Wednesday.

The Department of Revenue Investigation on June 18 seized around one quintal gold that had passed the airport customs undetected.

So far, 18 persons have been arrested in connection with the case.

The CPN (Maoist Center) has decided to hold a meeting with the ruling and the opposition parties to end the deadlock of the House of Representatives and National Assembly.

A Parliamentary Party meeting of the Maoist Center held in Singha Durbar on Monday morning decided to hold a concrete decision to resume the House session, Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey said.

“We believe that a solid conclusion will be drawn by discussing with the leaders of the main opposition and other parties to elect chairpersons of the subject committees and to resume the Parliament,” he said.

Pandey said that the deck to resume the House will be cleared after a meeting of the senior leaders of major political parties with the Speaker.

Earlier, the main opposition CPN-UML had demanded a ruling to form a high-level probe committee alleging that the government ministers and high-ranking leaders of the Maoist Center were involved in the gold smuggling case.

But when the Speaker tried to proceed with the business in the zero hour, the UML lawmakers chanted slogans and gheraoed the well.

Speaker Ghimire has been postponing the Parliament meeting by pasting the notice at the request of the government after the ruling parties disagreed with the stand of the main opposition CPN-UML.

“The House is being obstructed. The main issue is how to resume the Parliament proceedings,” Pandey said, adding, “Prime Minister and Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed the leaders to implement the decisions made by the Central Committee meeting.”