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| India-Pakistan |
| Maoists end nationwide strike in Nepal |
| 2010-05-08 |
| KATHMANDU - Nepal's opposition Maoists Friday ended their indefinite general strike, six days after enforcing a national shutdown that crippled businesses and daily life in the Himalayan nation. “We have decided to end the strike keeping in mind the difficulties the general people have had to face in these past days,' said Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who goes by the nom de guerre Prachanda. “However, we will continue with our mass movement until May 28 — the deadline of the drafting of the constitution,' he told reporters. The Maoists, who have the largest number of seats in parliament, are demanding the resignation of the prime minister and the formation of a new national unity government under Maoist administration. The Maoists had enforced a nationwide general strike from Sunday, saying they would not relent until their demands were met. The decision to end the strike follows a rally attended by around 35,000 people in Kathmandu and organised by the business community and other civil society groups to demand an end to the shutdown. “We have given the political parties and the Maoists a two-day deadline to come to a consensus and end the strike,' Kush Kumar Joshi, organiser of the meeting and president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, told AFP earlier Friday. “The strikes have been crippling the business industry and all sectors have been adversely affected. Nepal is losing 2.25 billion rupees (30 million dollars) every day,' he said. |
| Posted by:Steve White |