KATHMANDU, Oct 21: Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal has remarked that former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli is not above the law.
Responding to Oli’s challenge — “Arrest me if you can” — Home Minister Aryal said that the days when anyone could stay above the law are over.
Responding to a query of journalists on Monday about Oli’s challenge, Aryal said, “That means he doesn’t abide by the law. Was KP Oli the only one to stay above the law? That was how it used to be in the past; not anymore.”
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A few days earlier, Minister Aryal had remarked that some political parties might still be hiding weapons looted during the insurgency and that such weapons should be surrendered.
In response, former Prime Minister Oli had challenged the government to arrest him. Minister Aryal also said that political parties still keeping weapons should make a self-declaration, adding,
“If any political force still wishes to stockpile arms, they should instead declare that they are committed to the path of peace and nonviolence, not violence.”
Minister Aryal also clarified his earlier statement regarding former minister Deepak Khadka allegedly fleeing abroad. “Where was he when I gave that interview? You can check that. He only returned after the interview was published,” Aryal said.
He added that Khadka had been in India when the interview was given and returned to Nepal afterward. Showing a burned house and saying ‘I’m here’ doesn’t change what had already happened,” Aryal added.
