The Nepal Crisis: Interview with National Council of Churches in Nepal

New Delhi – Nepal, the small Hindu kingdom, tucked away in the Himalayas, has never faced any crisis as it is facing today. Ever since, king Gyanendra, the only Hindu monarch in the world, dissolved the parliament in February 1, 2005 and seized full and complete power in his own hands, civil war has broken out and human rights violation is at its worst. The king (backed by the Royal Nepalese Army), the political parties, the Maoist rebels (disillusioned members of the Communist Party of Nepal) and the civilians are all involved in a bloody struggle in their search for the elusive word – Democracy.

In an exclusive interview with Surojit Chatterjee of Christian Today India, Dr. K.B. Rokaya, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Nepal and the coordinator, Christian Efforts for Peace, Justice and Reconciliation (CEPJAR) gives his frank opinion about the present political situation in Nepal and expresses his concerns for the people. This is Part 1 of a 2 Part Series.

Christian Today: Dr. Rokaya, can you tell us how the political crisis started developing in Nepal?

Dr. K.B. Rokaya: Nepal, for centuries, was under the absolute rule of the king till the 1990s. It was the king who gave the Constitution to the people. He was above the law, the Constitution. In 1990, there was a people’s uprising and the king was persuaded to introduce a multi-party system of government. It had the semblance of democracy but was far from it. Religious freedom was absent and basic individual freedom and rights were limited.

Discontent with the political development, some leaders and members of the Communist Party of Nepal (the third largest majority party in the parliament at that time) broke away and came to the conclusion that the multi-party parliament was not doing enough for the people. From 1996, they started their armed struggle against the government and against the king. Caught up in this armed struggle, till date, over 12000 innocent civilian Nepalis have died.

In 2000, there was palace massacre in which one member of the royal family killed everyone including the king and queen and himself. Miraculously, however, one of the king’s sons, Gyanendra, survived and he assumed the throne.

In 2002, dissatisfied with the parliament’s efforts in subduing the Maoist rebels, King Gyanendra dissolved the parliament and removed the elected Prime Minister (Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba) and assumed total control of the government. From a select group pf people, the king appointed the Prime Minister and ministers of the cabinet. During the same time, a number of articles in the Constitution, including some fundamental rights were suspended. Emergency was declared next. This continued till February 1, 2005. On February 1, the king once again removed his appointed men and took absolute control and started ruling directly by forming a government under a system of “chairmanship.” He appointed two vice-chairmen and some handpicked ministers.

Christian Today: Let me interrupt here...was this act constitutional?

Dr. Rokaya: According to the people of Nepal, this action was totally unconstitutional, as the Constitution of Nepal has no such provision that enables the king to assume such authority or appoint anybody as “vice-chairman.”

Christian Today: What happened then?

Dr. Rokaya: The political parties that ruled from 1990 to 2002 are now protesting against this regression. Presently, the king is ruling Nepal, backed by the Royal Nepalese Army. As the king is the head of the army, the army is answerable to him alone. The civilians of Nepal are dissatisfied with this situation. And there are the Maoists, who are carrying on their armed conflict against the govt.

Christian Today: What do the people of Nepal want?

Dr. Rokaya: Presently, the people of Nepal, the Maoists and the political parties are willing to settle all problems through dialogues and negotiations. They want peace, but not at the cost of justice. But the king is not willing to negotiate with the Maoists. And he is being supported militarily by the US, UK and India in his armed struggle. Since, February 1, 2005, however, India and UK suspended military aid – they have resolved to provide non-lethal weapons only to Nepal. The US, on the other hand, has continued to remain silent.

Christian Today: What seem to have deepened the political crisis?

Dr. Rokaya: The Maoist insurgency and the disunity among Nepal’s political parties has deepened the country’s political crisis.

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