The government on Thursday lifted a ban on activities of the Netra Bikram Chand- led Communist Party of Nepal.

A Cabinet meeting endorsed the three-point agreement signed between the government and the Chand party earlier on Thursday, Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali told the Post.

The government had imposed a ban on Chand party’s activities in March 2019 following twin blasts in the Capital in which one person had died.

Earlier on Thursday, the group signed the agreement, which states that the outfit will address all its political issues through dialogue, carry out all political activities in a peaceful manner and the government, in return, will lift the ban imposed on the party’s activities.

The agreement also paves the way for the government to free Communist Party of Nepal cadres and withdraw court cases against them. The modality, however, is not clear yet and the government is expected to make public details on Friday.

With the decision to lift the ban, Chand, who has remained underground for two years, is going to attend a public function in the capital on Friday. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Chand will address the function in which Chand is planning to make public his agenda and political course.

Cases against Chand’s cadres will be withdrawn after consultations with various government agencies, said a home ministry official. Over 2,000 leaders and carders from the group face various charges in almost 60 districts—some of them are in prison.

“First, we need to collect the numbers of cases and evaluate their nature. Only then can we recommend the Cabinet to withdraw them based on 'political grounds',” the ministry official said. The Office of the Attorney General and the district attorney will write to the respective district courts, district administration offices, and the district police before such arrangements are made."