Oftentimes, it appears that Nepal’s prolonged peace process is getting nowhere, that it has forgotten the victims of a decade-long war that left behind a trail of deaths, destruction and disappearances. After the cessation of hostilities between the then Maoist rebels and the government and signing of a comprehensive peace accord on 21 Nov 2006, much water has flown down the perennial rivers of Nepal. The period since then has witnessed developments like the entry of the Maoists into the mainstream politics, the declaration of the country as a federal secular democratic republic (28 May 2008), completion of the disarmament process of the Maoist army (2012) and the promulgation of a constitution through a Constituent Assembly (2015) in its second term.
These developments notwithstanding, transitional justice remains as a sticking point.
Why would it not? After all, according to estimates, more than 17,000 Nepalis died in the decade-long war, many sustained injuries, hundreds became victims of enforced disappearances and infrastructure worth billions of rupees vaporized, literally, pushing Nepal decades back in terms of development.
In the hearts of the victims and their relatives sits a fear. The victims fear that the leaders of the three major political parties—the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the CPN(Maoist Center)—won’t bother to address their concerns, that the top brass will make a compromise to serve their petty interests and save their heads instead.
It is a given that no amount of ‘justice’ can bring a life back, no amount of ‘justice’ can heal the wounds of a war.
That fact aside, the victims have been demanding that there should be no amnesty in cases of heinous crimes like murder, rape and indiscriminate killings.
Against this backdrop, CPN (Maoist Center) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, addressing an interaction on transitional justice in Kathmandu on Thursday, said there never was and will never be a disagreement among the three major parties on taking the remaining tasks of the peace process to a logical conclusion.
He stressed the need to give topmost priority when it comes to delivering justice to the victims, pointing out at the passage of the Truth and Reconciliation Bill and the formation of a recommendation committee for giving shape to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Past assurances of justice for the victims have proved hollow, stressing a crying need to walk the talk, which may be easier said than done. The top political leadership would do well to not ignore the victims’ concerns.
