Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has stated that the government is committed to completing the peace process, which has been stalled for the past 18 years. He made this statement during the National Conference on Transitional Justice organized by various national and international organizations in Kathmandu on March 27. He said that it is unfortunate that this process has been stalled for 18 years. The government is committed to a peace process with the assurance to address the past mistakes.
While speaking at the program, Sher Bahadur Deuba, the President of the Nepali Congress Party stated that the government is committed to completing the remaining work of the transitional justice process. He mentioned that the commissions that will be formed will investigate the truth and provide justice to the victims. He further emphasized that the issue of ensuring that the commission members are selected independently and impartially will be addressed when the recommendation committee makes the correct selections. He also stated, “Nepal should not miss the opportunity to showcase its unique peace process to the world.”
Similarly, CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) stated that it is unfortunate that the transitional justice process has been stalled for 18 years due to various reasons. He mentioned that risks had been taken to complete the peace process, and with the amendment of the law by the Supreme Court’s directive, he expressed confidence that it would gain the support of all.
The Secretary-General of the ICJ, Santiago A. Cantor stated that only political will and the consent of the victims can move the transitional justice process forward. He emphasized that when working on transitional justice, international obligations cannot be overlooked.
Likewise, United Nations Resident Representative Hanaa Singer-Hamdy stated that the transitional justice law passed by Parliament last August has raised hope. She mentioned that if the issue of victim justice and reparations can be linked to justice, it will strengthen hope for justice.
The conflict victims Suman Adhikari and Sumitra Choudhary urged the top leadership not to turn the hope of the victims into despair. In the conference, which was attended by women victims of the armed conflict from various districts of the country, discussions on various topics were held, as stated by Kalyan Shrestha, a former Chief Justice.