KATHMANDU- The all-party meeting held today at Singha Durbar has expressed serious concern over the sensitive incidents took place in Sunsari and other districts of the country and the resulting untoward situations, and has appealed to maintain social harmony and peace.
The all-party meeting was convened at the call of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane.
The all-party meeting issued a seven-point joint statement, drawing the attention of the government to normalize the situation, conduct a fair investigation of the incident, take legal action against the guilty, and provide the victims with appropriate compensation and relief.
Similarly, it highlighted that Nepal’s identity lies in unity amid diversity, tolerance, and coexistence, and urged ordinary citizens not to engage in any undesirable activities or provocations that would disrupt social harmony.
The all-party meeting appealed to the citizens to exercise restraint, as enragement and clashes will only complicate problems rather than solve them. The meeting called on all parties involved to express their demands and grievances peacefully, saying that in a democracy, even the most complex discontent and issues can be resolved through calm dialogue and consensus.
Noting that the center’s efforts alone are not enough to maintain social harmony and lasting peace, the meeting has decided to direct various levels of committees of each party to immediately hold all-party and all-sides meetings at the provincial, district, and local levels.
The meeting requested the concerned parties to take such dialogue initiatives down to the grassroots level to build an atmosphere of trust among citizens and to involve local religious leaders, civil society, and local administration in maintaining peace and order in the country.
Similarly, the central level of the political party has expressed that it is serious about ensuring that such tragic and sensitive incidents do not happen again in any part of the country in the future, and they have committed to taking necessary initiatives, continuous coordination, monitoring, and playing a leading role to that end.
The all-party meeting urged the general public to use social media responsibly, saying that misleading news, hate speech, and rumors that can spread through social media and other channels in sensitive situations like this can make the situation worse.
It has called attention of the media that, since they play an important role in reducing and preventing damage to the community from such sensitive incidents, they should focus on disseminating more restrained, responsible, and factual information.
The joint statement issued by the all-party meeting expressed condolences to those who lost their lives in the Dewanganj incident, sympathy to the grieving families, wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured, and support for social harmony and lasting peace.
The joint appeal is undersigned by RSP President Lamichhane, Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa, Nepali Communist Party (NCP) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN (UML) General Secretary Shankar Pokharel, Shram Sanskriti Party General Secretary Aren Rai, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) Chairman Mahanta Thakur, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chairman Rajendra Lingden, Janamat Party Chairman Dr. CK Raut, and Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal’s leader Prakash Adhikari.(RSS)