Major breakthrough: Consensus reached on transitional justice

Kathmandu: Three major political parties have agreed to complete the entire transitional justice process, including addressing human rights violations from the 10-year civil war. 

During a meeting of the working mechanism held today at Singhadarbar, consensus was reached on four disputed points in the bill. Janardan Sharma, a member of the working group and deputy general secretary of the Maoist Center, reported that the three parties’ working groups have reached an agreement, and the draft will be presented to top leaders by Monday.

The working group, which has been meeting continuously for the past few days, includes Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak from the Nepali Congress, Deputy General Secretary Janardan Sharma from the Maoist Center, and Mahesh Bartaula from the CPN-UML. They have held six meetings and come to an agreement on the bill.

With this agreement, the bill will move forward with the consensus of the three major political parties. The Bill on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission for the Investigation of Forced Disappearances is currently under consideration by the Parliament’s Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee.

The bill had been stalled in the committee for a long time, prompting then-Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda to form a working group of the three party leaders. KP Sharma Oli, who succeeded him as Prime Minister, also endorsed the continuation of this working group for discussion and agreement. Discussions have been ongoing under this mandate.

Sharma noted that the court had provided guidance through several rulings, and the working group has formulated the bill with a focus on victims. He indicated that the bill would soon progress through the committee.

An agreement was reached to include issues related to security personnel’s families and demobilized fighters in the bill. Sharma mentioned that during the investigation, the task force agreed to make recommendations to the Attorney General's office for further decisions.

Mahesh Bartaula, chief whip of the CPN-UML, confirmed that there was a complete agreement today. He added that some final discussions with top leaders are needed and that the report will be ready by tomorrow or the day after.

"After discussions with the three top leaders, the draft will be prepared in accordance with the victims' consent and the Supreme Court's verdict," Bartaula said. "We will submit the report to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, former Prime Ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda by tomorrow evening or the day after. It will then be sent to the committee."

Bartaula expressed confidence that the legal confusion surrounding the process is being resolved and that the transitional justice process in Nepal will be completed. He emphasized that the focus is on benefiting the country as a whole rather than individual victories or losses. If the Human Rights Committee approves the bill, it will be passed by Parliament during this session, leading to the formation of a commission to deliver justice for all incidents during the conflict.

The members of the mechanism asserted that the three leaders have agreed to address the peace process as the law progresses through Parliament. They also claimed that the commission’s term will be four years, during which it will handle cases and work on integrating individuals into society.