The Transitional Justice (TJ) Act has to be amended, and the main political parties are attempting to reach an agreement.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, and CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli met at Speaker Devraj Ghimire’s house in Baluwatar on Tuesday to address a number of issues.
A bill to alter the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act 2071, which deals with investigations into forced disappearances, has been filed in parliament. 28 MPs registered the amendment in response to the victims’ voice. Whether the measure should be examined in a parliamentary committee or enacted by the federal parliament directly has not been decided. However, Prime Minister Dahal stressed that because this issue cannot be resolved by anybody other than the senior leaders of major parties, they should keep trying to reach an agreement.
Prime Minister Dahal said during the conversation that the topic of transitional justice shouldn’t be made political. PM Dahal pushed, according to insiders, that the law be advanced based on consensus.
“Transitional justice should be an issue of interest and concern for all of us,” he added. “It is not a matter of this side, that side, or the opposition, there is no political prejudice in it.”
He said that political bias on the subject of transitional justice is bad for the nation and democracy and that there was a disagreement over parts of the bill’s language. He said that it is essential to go forward with a broad consensus that is seen favorably by everybody.
There is no disputing what Prime Minister Dahal stated, according to NC President Deuba. According to his opinion, there is no other way to settle the transitional justice debate but by reaching an agreement.
KP Oli, the chairman of the CPN-UML, also said that agreement might be reached, but that because this issue has to be resolved in a manner that ensures that everyone receives justice and that no one is left out, attention should also be given to the bill’s revisions. According to him, the measure wouldn’t be relevant unless the guilty could be brought to justice and the innocent were treated fairly.
Participants at the meeting were Prime Minister Dahal, NC President Deuba, UML Chairman Oli of the major opposition, Attorney General Dinmani Pokharel and previous Attorney General Ramesh Badal, Chief Whips of the CPN-UML Padam Giri and the Maoist Center Hitraj Pandey, as well as NC lawmaker Ishwari Neupane.
There was no consensus, according to MP Ishwari Neupane, who attended the meeting, thus it was agreed to have the meeting with the senior leaders on April 14. The bill has been modified around 28 times. There should be no delay in constituting the committee, according to Speaker Ghimire, who said that it cannot be constituted until the parliamentary committee receives the name list from the major parties.
A bill to amend the Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties, Powers and Procedures) Act 2066, a bill to amend some laws on Prevention of Money Laundering and Promotion of Business Environment, and a bill on disappearances are all currently being discussed in parliament. He also spoke about moving the process forward in this conversation. But the discussion during the meeting was largely about transitional justice.