Christian Today: International Human Rights groups claim that human rights violations in Nepal are spiraling everyday. Is it true?
Dr. Rokaya: There is a spiraling of human rights violations in Nepal. There is no doubt about it. Reports of the Amnesty International, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations (UN) and the US Department of State on Religious Freedom all point toward that. There are no human rights presently in Nepal. Human Rights Watch once said that there is zero human rights in Nepal.
In Nepal, human-trafficking and the disappearance of persons in custody have continued to pose very serious problems. Government security forces continue to have broad authority to arrest and detain individuals suspected of sympathising with the Maoist insurgents. Innocent civilians are caught in the middle. Security forces use arbitrary and unlawful lethal force on civilians they suspect as Maoist sympathisers. On the other hand, Maoist rebels continue to torture civilians suspecting them of being government spies amd agents. Forcible conscription of children into the army as soldiers and bombing raids conducted in civilian areas suspected to be militant hideouts have struck fear in the heart of the Nepalis.
Christian Today: International analysts claim that Nepal is heading towards a failed state with its economy on the verge of a collapse. Can dialogues help in restoration of democracy in Nepal?
Dr. Rokaya: As for the question whether Nepal is a failed state and whether the situation has gone out of control, I do not believe that. The situation is very much within the control as all the actors are acting within certain limitations. This is not an instance of terrorism...the events taking place are not terrorist activities but all are operating within the political sphere. So I am very hopeful of a peaceful solution of the problem. The problem can be solved and should be solved through dialogues and peaceful negotiations. The Maoists are ready and willing to do that and they have put forth their agenda and their demands very clearly. The government and the political parties need to look into these demands and think about them. Whether it is the government, the political parties or the Maoists, they all need to have a clear stand of what they really want. Through negotiations and dialogues, this is possible. Not by armed conflict.
Christian Today: Should foreign nations intervene in the peace-building process or can the people of Nepal alone successfully resolve its (internal) problem? Do the Maoists have a role to play in the peace process?
Dr. Rokaya: The political crisis in Nepal is not confined within the state for there is a heavy involvement of the international community. In terms of giving monetary aid to Nepal, World Bank, Norway (a major aids donor nation), Asian Development Bank (ADB) – they are all helping Nepal. The US, UK, and India are also involved in providing military aid to the government of Nepal. This is making dialogues and peaceful resolutions difficult.
The Maoists, the political parties, the civil society, the human rights community are all ready for a dialogue...they all want a dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the problem. But it is the military aid that is coming from outside that is hindering the peace process. It is making dialogues and peaceful settlement difficult. There should be no military aid from outside so that the Nepali people are allowed to solve their own problem. The international community should leave the Nepali people alone to solve their own problem. The international community can be allowed to play a facilitating role, a mediating role. They can definitely play that role and there is a need for that. Intervention of the international community should be limited but productive and constructive.
Surojit Chatterjee
Christian Today Correspondent
