Kathmandu, February 13. For the first time, the Nepali government has declared a national public holiday to commemorate Nepal’s deadliest civil war.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ officially announced on Sunday that the Nepali people would mark the date “Falgun 1” for recognizing the contributions made by the People’s War in Nepal’s political transformation.

The public, however, has been heavily criticizing the government’s decision of marking a public holiday on the war.

Falgun 1

On February 13, 1996, the Maoist party, led by Chairman Prachanda, launched an insurgency with the stated goal of overthrowing the Nepali monarchy and establishing a people’s republic.

Over the next ten years, the Nepali people witnessed the country’s bloodiest guerilla warfare. The war between Maoist guerrillas and the Royal Nepali Army was characterized by numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, including summary executions, massacres, purges, kidnappings, and mass rapes.

By the end of 2006, Nepal had already suffered the deaths of 17,000 of its citizens, including civilians, insurgents, and army and police personnel. A large number of rural families were forced to relocate from their ancestral lands to unknown safer locations. Youths flee to other countries to save their lives and career.

The war finally ended on on 21 November 2006 with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord between the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre).

The agreement signed by Prime Minister Koirala and Maoist Commander Prachanda allowed the royal government to be replaced by a new government. The agreement also enabled the Maoists to place their weapons under UN supervision and become an important part of the new government.

Maoist Centre celebrates Falgun 1 in Parisdanda headquarters

On Monday morning, the Maoists political party organized a special program in its Parisdanda head office to commemorate People’s War Day (Jana Yuddha Diwas).

During the special event, Nepali Prime Minister and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ laid a wreath at the martyr’s column.