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By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel

On November 21, 2024, we marked the eighteen years of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) across the country. The accord formally ended the decade-long armed dance of death that killed over 17, 000 people and maimed many more. The CPA also paved the avenues for the beginning of a new beginning, facilitating Nepal’s transition from war to peace and sustainable development.

When the then Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula declared, “We hereby announce an end to the armed conflict that has been in place since 1996,” while reading the full text of the accord, it was met with thunderous applause at the New-Baneshwar-based Birendra International Convention Centre (now International Convention Centre). The whole nation became euphoric with the signing of the CPA, which raised hopes among the people for sustainable peace, political stability, and development. But the primary question is: have we been able to achieve what the Comprehensive Peace Accord has envisioned? At present, every Nepali raises this question with the hope of getting a convincing answer.

Needless to mention, Nepal experienced a decade-long armed hostility from 1996 to 2006. The conflict killed thousands of people across the country. It destroyed development infrastructure—both in rural and urban areas. People were living under constant fear as they were abducted and killed by state and non-state forces under the pretext of spying.

When the then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) waged war against the state, it committed to giving emancipation to the downtrodden and oppressed groups. It sold the promise that their day-to-day problems would be addressed. More than eighteen years have passed since we signed the CPA. Sadly, inequality is rife, corruption is rampant, and nepotism and favoritism have plagued the nation, triggering a mass exodus of youth to other countries in search of better opportunities. To sum up, only a handful of elites enjoy the state resources, while the majority of the population is still underprivileged and underrepresented.

The Comprehensive Peace Accord was considered a huge achievement, and it was hailed by the international community as it officially ended the decade-long armed conflict. While signing the CPA, the warring parties agreed to, among others, end the peace process logically and address the war-era crimes through the Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism. They also committed to upholding the constitution and serving the people in true spirit. But this was the biggest lie they ever told us.

The peace process, which has been the key component of CPA, is blatantly disregarded by the successive government formed after the election to the Constituent Assembly in 2008. The conflict-affected families and other members of the family not directly involved in the conflict are still languishing in pain. They have been moving every nook and cranny of the country, seeking justice. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission having a mandate to end the peace process logically has just been an entity without any essence. To say, it has become the puppet of the ruling administration ever since it came into existence.

Along with the mandate to logically conclude the peace process, the accord brought huge respite among the people who desired rapid economic growth. The economy is very dismal as a result of political instability, thanks to politicians’ lust for power. It is really very strange and disgusting to see the leaders failing to rise above the partisan interest for the broader sake of the nation. It is equally regrettable and surprising to note that politicians are deceiving the people and keeping them in the dark.

There are no significant differences between the erstwhile partyless panchayat system and the present political system. In fact, this pen pusher would not hesitate to say that a partyless panchayat system was more accountable and transparent in terms of governance than the present political system. Misrule, ineffective service delivery, poor governance, rampant corruption, a culture of impunity, abuse of authority, and hopelessness among people are the major resultants of our present political system.

Post-CPA, The country has plunged into political instability, giving external actors to interfere in our micromanagement and creating control chaos. Now, the people are frustrated and fed up with politicians who have looted people in the name of politics. They expected good governance, meritocracy, and equal opportunity for everyone. On the contrary, one needs to be a relative, girlfriend, or mother-in-law of those in power to get appointed for the plum position—be it in the government office, private office, or NGOs. To say, one does not need qualification, personal experience, and expertise to be appointed for a covetable position. 

It is evident that our politicians have missed the opportunity to transform the nation from social-economic and political perspectives. The infighting over power sharing and resorting to the blame game seems to be their only agenda instead of fulfilling what they have committed while inking the accord. Following the signing of the CPA, there was a huge hope among the people, believing that politicians would fulfil their promise of advancing the nation towards prosperity. On the contrary, the peace agreement has become a subject of ridicule as its mandate has still remained a mirage.

This is not to say that post-CPA has been completely a period of setbacks and failure. It is not. We hope that our present politicians—both opposition and ruling—will further intensify their efforts to fulfill the mandate of the CPA, paving the avenues for lasting peace and sustainable development.