Nepal MPs hold key debate

The government intends to step up military operation

By the BBC's Sushil Sharma in Kathmandu

Parliament in Nepal has begun a key debate on whether to extend a state of emergency imposed three months ago to tackle a long-running insurgency by Maoist rebels.

The government says the extension - by another three months - is necessary so that a military operation against the rebels can be stepped up.

The government depends on opposition support for the two-thirds majority needed for the ratification of emergency.

Opposition parties have accused the government of misusing the state of emergency which, they say, has failed to achieve its goal.

But they have not made a final decision whether to vote against the government.

Intensify action

The Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, has sought to assure that the emergency would not be misused.

There has been an escalation in Maoist violence

He has called for its extension by another three months to intensify a military operation.

The operation aimed at crushing the Maoist rebels is underway since the imposition of the state of emergency last November.

Restrictions have been imposed on the media and independent reports have been difficult to get.

But the authorities said hundreds of rebels have been killed and captured and many others have surrendered over the past three months.

Upsurge in violence

There has, however, been an escalation in Maoist violence ahead of the parliamentary session.

In the worst attack since the emergency was imposed, the rebels killed 16 police officers last week.

The authorities say, despite some losses suffered by the security forces, the overall military operation has been going well.

They say the military needs more time to crush the rebels who the authorities recently branded as terrorists.

More than 2,500 people have been killed since the rebels launched an armed struggle six years ago to replace the constitutional monarchy with a communist republic.

Efforts to resolve the problem through a dialogue last year failed after the rebels called off a ceasefire.