With no end in sight to the war within the ruling Nepal Communist Party, a key meeting of the party standing committee was deferred a fourth time Friday to allow mediators to reach out to the rival camps of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and party co-chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’. The standing committee meeting is now scheduled for July 17. Oli and Prachanda, sources said, yielded to pressure from a group of 11 party leaders to extend the “ceasefire” by a week. While Prachanda insisted that Oli step down as Prime Minister and party chairperson, the latter ruled it out completely. Sources said both, however, agreed not to target each other publicly. There is deep division in the ruling party over Oli’s functioning in general, and his handling of relations with India in particular.
