Last week, an elected Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting a new Constitution for Nepal is completed. An overwhelming majority of the Assembly passed into law a new system of governance that firmly establishes Nepal as a secular, federal republic. Its been a long time in the making and judging by the news of continued political violence, a story that has not yet ended. When the new Constitution was promulgated last week, a third of the country was under curfew. Yesterday the government of Nepal recalled the Army to the barracks to ease tensions which are centered on the dissatisfaction of two of the country’s large but historically marginalised ethnic groups. Added to this are regional dynamics involving Nepal giant neighbour India. Delhi has called on Kathmandu to respond to the demands of the disgruntled parties whose territory it shares a 1700km border with. Today we put this current conflict in a historical context.
This is a report by Sharaad Kuttan.