By Our Reporter
At a time when the seizure of 100 kg of gold smuggled through the Tribhuvan International Airport on July 18 and the confiscation of four machines used by smugglers to liquefy the gold from various locations in Kathmandu have tarnished the country’s image internationally, the political leadership has been applying different tactics to weaken the investigation.
The main opposition, CPN-UML, is seen at the forefront to dismiss the investigation and the entire case under one pretext and another. When the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police has been investigation the case, the UML obstructed the House of Representatives demanding the formation of a high-level commission to investigate the same.
Obviously, such a commission will be motivated politically and work in the interest of the powerful politicians while the police have been investigating it independently. It is not understandable why the UML demanding the formation of such a commission but many suspect CPN-UML chair KP Oli wants to save some of the figures.
While the UML has been trying to weaken the investigation into the scam, some leaders of the ruling Maoist Centre have also backed the UML’s demands for the high-level commission. Interestingly, Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun, whose photographs taken with the Chinese national arrested in the case have been made public, has supported the UML demand. It is interesting to note here that Pun, has been frequenting China for treatment in recent years. Likewise, another Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara has also been linked in the gold smuggling case as his son had made several calls to the Customs officers to release 9 kg of gold in the past.
When the two top Maoist leaders have been accused of facilitating the smuggling and when the UML is trying to weaken the police investigation by putting forth the demand for the high-level commission, the gold smuggling case may get weaker. However, the government, especially Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha, is said to be against the formation of any commission on the case.
Demanding the formation of the commission, the UML has been obstructing the House since Wednesday last week. Although UML chair Oli and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal held meetings twice to resume the House business, the UML obstructed the House on Tuesday, prompting Speaker Devraj Ghimire to postpone the meeting till Monday next week.
Earlier, the UML also obstructed the House when the government tried to endorse a bill to criminalise loan sharking. Now it is said that the UML wanted to obstruct or delay the passage of the Bill because most of those loan sharks belong to the UML.
This time, after the police arrested Dawa Chhiring, who is said to be managing the smuggling business from the top level, from Vienna Hotel of Thamel, police suspected involvement of police in the smuggling. And fearing the disclosure of their nexus with Dawa, the UML has demanded the formation of a high-level commission while the Maoist leaders who are close to Dawa are supporting the UML’s demand.
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