KATHMANDU: The CPN-UML has strongly condemned the arrest of party Vice Chair Bishnu Prasad Paudel, describing it as politically motivated, retaliatory and unlawful.
A ninth meeting of the party Secretariat held on Tuesday evening concluded that the arrest was driven by political prejudice and demanded Paudel’s unconditional and immediate release.
The meeting also called on party members and supporters across the country to launch political resistance and exposure campaigns against what it described as an authoritarian, vindictive and discriminatory use of state mechanisms.
Paudel was arrested in Surkhet on Monday on money laundering charges. The court has already granted authorities permission to keep him in custody for seven days for further investigation.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the UML said it would challenge the arrest through both political and legal means, arguing that it was carried out without objective facts or evidence and was intended solely to settle political scores.
The party also expressed disagreement with the decision of the Special Court to allow Paudel’s detention during the investigation, claiming that the order was not consistent with the principles of justice.
Reiterating its demand for Paudel’s release, the Secretariat urged the government to free the senior leader without conditions and accused state institutions of acting with political bias.
The meeting further appealed to party cadres and the wider public committed to justice to participate in nationwide campaigns opposing what it called arbitrary and discriminatory actions by state agencies.
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