Daily life in large parts of Pyuthan, Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Dailekh and Surkhet districts have been adversely affected since early Friday morning due to a daylong strike called by former Maoist combatants in mid-western region.

The strike was enforced by ex-combatants who were discharged last year from the cantonments after being disqualified in the verification conducted by the United Nations political mission in Nepal.

Reports coming in say that most of the shops, businesses and factories in the affected districts remain closed. Similarly, very few short-route vehicles are seen plying on the road while long-route vehicles have been brought to a grinding halt in the affected districts due to fear of attacks by the bandh enforcers. However, protest organisers demonstrating in major thoroughfares in Nepalgunj, Dang and Surkhet have not been seen disrupting the vehicles.

The disqualified Maoist ex-combatants enforced the shutdown in mid-western region, demanding that the tag of 'disqualified' to describe them be removed and financial package comparable to those who have chosen voluntary retirement in the recent regrouping of the combatants.

The combatants in exclusion had enforced a daylong strike in nine districts of far-western Nepal on Thursday to protest against the UCPN (Maoist) and the government categorizing them as ‘disqualified’ and ‘depriving’ them of any benefit or rights.

4008 disqualified combatants were discharged from the cantonment sites. The government had only provided bus fares to them while discharging them. nepalnews.com