Reiterating his position on the transitional justice process, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that it will follow the international laws and practices.

At a meeting with UN Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand on Thursday, PM Dahal told her that the government of Nepal would comply with international laws and practices of transitional justice, according to the PM’s Secretariat.

Former rebel leader Dahal has been reiterating this position ever since he assumed the premiership in August. 

Dahal had signed a nine-point agreement with the Nepali Congress, the state party during the conflict, to conclude the transitional justice process by amending the related laws and empower the commissions formed to look into the insurgency incidents. 

In seven months, PM Dahal has not been able to amend the law in line with the Supreme Court order. Responding to a petition filed by conflict victims, the apex court on February 26, 2015, had issued a landmark verdict, which struck down half a dozen provisions of the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act 2014. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons have been formed under that act to deal with conflict-era cases of rights violation. 

Two commissions have already registered over 60,000 complaints of the victims. The understaffed commissions have been unable to initiate detailed investigation due to the lack of legal framework and logistics.

The transitional justice process, which was envisaged by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is the last remaining task of the peace process. Conflict victims have been accusing the political leadership of delaying the process intentionally to protect few leaders from being indicted in war crimes. 

Current coalition is composed of both the warring parties of the conflict. Rights activists also suspect that they want to scratch each others’ backs. 

“No matter how hard they try, the leadership cannot get away with the conflict-era cases,” said activist Ram Bhandari, whose father was disappeared by the state, “They must be accountable to their deeds.”

During the meeting, describing Nepal’s peace process as unique PM Dahal told Julliand that the process is progressing well. He also lauded the UN role in Nepal’s peace process and post-earthquake reconstruction.