HoR panel to test legality of 8-pt pact

A meeting of the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) decided to examine the constitutionality and legality of the eight-point agreement reached between the seven-party alliance (SPA) and the Maoists on June 16.


The 8-point agreement has agreed, among others, to dissolve the revived HoR after finding an appropriate alternative to it. The committee is also scheduled to examine the constitutionality of the declaration and political commitments made by the HoR.A statement issued by the committee expressed satisfaction over the understandings and agreements reached between the alliance and the Maoists at different stages.

“We have decided to examine the constitutionality and legality of the eight-point agreement between the SPA and the Maoists in light of the 1990’s constitution and the HoR declaration of May 18,” said Puskar Nath Ojha, a member of the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Committee.


Sources within the committee said that the panel members thought of examining the agreement after they found problems in it.The agreement was signed, among others, by Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist chairman Prachanda at the PM’s residence at BaluwatarOjha said they decided to scrutinise the 8-point agreement as per the committee’s jurisdiction that allows examining the government’s decisions.


The committee is also authorised to issue directives to the government and submit reports to the HoR in all constitutional and legal issues. He said that the committee would start examining the agreement from July 4.“If the agreement is deemed unconstitutional or inappropriate from the point of view of the 1990’s constitution and the HoR declaration, the committee will issue directives to make corrections on it,” he said.

He, however, said that the committee has not officially received a copy of the agreement so far