Kathmandu, Oct 30 (IANS) With only 48 hours left for a new Maoist ultimatum to the government of Nepal to expire, the ruling parties Friday urged the former guerrillas to call off their proposed protest programme and begin talks, warning that violence would be put down by force.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal called a meeting of his cabinet Friday even as Maoist leader and former finance minister Baburam Bhattarai urged all international airlines to cancel flights to and from Kathmandu Nov 10 when the Maoists plan to shut down the Kathmandu Valley and along with it the republic’s only international airport.

Information and Communications Minister Shankar Pokhrel, who is also the spokesman for the coalition government, issued a statement at the end of the cabinet meeting, asking the Maoists to call off their proposed protests and resume dialogue with the government so that a constitutional and parliamentary solution could be arrived at.

The government has also warned the former insurgents that their attempt to impose a blockade on the valley would violate the peace agreement they signed three years ago that ended the civil war and helped them return to mainstream politics.

Pokhrel said the government was also appealing to the protesters not to resort to violence or vandalism in the name of protests. The government, he said, would take steps to ensure the safety of the people and public properties.