News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal With Vladimir Putin being reelected as president, global attention has been fixed on Russia-some with enthusiasm and some with concerns and anxiety. Putin, who, in a way or the other, has been in power for the last 12 years- eight years as president and four years as the prime minister, is again in the Russia\'s helms of affairs for another four years as the president for third time. Under Putin\'s leadership, Russia is expected to regain its lost image as an influential global player, reshaping the international equation and order. With Russia\'s rise, the unipolar world will come to an end and multi-polar global equation is expected to emerge, the process of which has already begun. China has already a global power challenging the American hegemony in the world and Russia is in the making, which has sent shock waves to Western countries mainly the United States. However, the Third World and also emerging powers like China, Brazil, South Africa and India a...

Yuba Nath Lamsal The CPN-UML stole the political show in Kathmandu early this week. The capital city once again saw red banners with the hammer and sickle fluttering in the streets. In fact, Kathmandu was painted red and was almost UMLized for one day on March 3. This was because of the rally held ahead of the meeting of the party’s Representatives’ Council. Tens of thousands of cadres, workers and supporters were mobilised and brought to the capital to show that the UML was still popular among the people. Whatever the reason and its impact on our national politics, the UML gathering was impressive, which has shown that the party is still capable of making its presence felt in the country. Action not words In the mass meeting held at the Open Air Theater prior to the formal start of the council’s meet, party leaders claimed that the UML was still the number one party and that it would emerge as the largest force in the next election. The CPN-UML is now the third largest party in the Co...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Recent remarks of a top US military officer have triggered a public outcry in the capital of five South Asian countries including Nepal. Admiral Robert F Willard, Commander of the US Pacific Command, said authentically that the United States, as a part of its global anti-terrorism cooperation, has stationed US Special Forces in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Admiral Willard made these remarks in a Congressional hearing on March 3, 2012 in which he said “ We have currently special forces assist teams - Pacific assist teams is the term - laid down in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, as well as India”. He said the deployment of US forces in South Asia is part of Washington’s global war on terror. The remarks of the US commander were taken with indignation by people in all five countries. However, the governments have chosen to remain tightlipped on this crucial issue that is linked to our national security, sovereignty and foreign ...

Yuba Nath Lamsal The ongoing peace process seems to be in coma. The peace process had picked momentum a few months ago especially after Dr Baburam Bhattarai was elected as Prime Minister of Nepal, which had made the people slightly optimistic. However, this optimism soon evaporated as a new deadlock surfaced because of parties’ perceptional and positional differences on some key issues. On the surface, it seems that the differences among parties on army integration, governance model and state restructuring are said to be the reason for the new deadlock in constitution writing and peace process. However, there is something else behind the deadlock and delay in the peace process. The parties have their perceptional differences on the basic concept of the peace process, which is the fundamental reason behind the impasse in the entire political process. Major political parties have their own position on governance model, army integration and federal structure. They have not yet arr...

Yuba Nath Lamsal 'Wow' was the word that came out spontaneously from everyone I spoke to about Muktinath voyage. While some appreciated it as a 'must visit' holy shrine, many extolled for its picturesque ambience, a nature’s bliss. Whatever the logic, Muktinath voyage is definitely worth undertaking. Most Nepalese visit Muktinath for religious purpose and foreigners for adventure and cultural study. But to this scribe, the purpose of Muktinath visit was both religious and adventure. By political conviction, I am a firmed Marxist. But I am a believer. Karl Marx has said ‘religion is opium’. It is not known in which context Marx had to say this. Religion is faith that guides a person to righteousness and common good. When religion is used as a tool to create hatred, conflict and tension, it not only becomes opium but deadly venom that kills the very spirit of religion and humanity. I do not belong to this breed but take the religion as a means to enrich one’s...