Kathmandu-The government, the private sector, major political parties, and Gen Z representatives have expressed consensus on ensuring the security, stability, and an investment friendly environment for the private sector.

At an all party national dialogue titled Cooperation for Peace, Stability, and Prosperity organized by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Kathmandu on Wednesday, participants concluded that attacks on the private sector harm the state as a whole and stressed the need for cooperation.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki said the government has given full security assurances to businesspeople in the post Gen Z movement situation. She said decisions taken after the movement for business protection and revival clearly show the government’s commitment to the private sector.

‘During this period, some important steps have been taken to protect businesses. This makes it clear that the government is firm on private sector security and wants to move forward in cooperation with the private sector,’ Prime Minister Karki said.

She said most demands of the private sector have been addressed through monetary, financial, and development plans to revive industries and businesses damaged during the Gen Z movement. She cited extensions of tax payment deadlines, rescheduling of bank loans, and arrangements for advance insurance claim payments.

She also said the customs administration has begun recognizing transaction values, the inland revenue system now allows online PAN registration and online tax clearance certificates, and a risk based audit system has replaced universal audits.

Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said the country must shift focus from debate to implementation. He said too much time has been spent on what to do and how to do it, and now the focus should be on why work is not happening and how to solve it.

‘I have been watching programs in five star hotels for the past 15 to 20 years, spending millions, but they have never delivered the expected results,’ Bhattarai said. ‘Now we must seek results, not debate.’

He said Nepal lags nearly a hundred years behind other countries and stressed the need to increase agricultural production and productivity. He noted that about 60 percent of the population still depends on subsistence agriculture, and a labor culture focused on foreign employment has limited savings and investment.

FNCCI President Chandra Prasad Dhakal expressed serious concern about the current state of the private sector and the country’s future. He said the country has reached a point where the shared national agenda must clearly be prosperity.

Dhakal said political movements over the past 75 years have failed to bring expected improvements in living standards. He said limited jobs shown in government reports and neglect of private sector suggestions have increased youth frustration.

‘A serious question has arisen whether we are about to hand over a failed nation to the next generation,’ Dhakal said.

Citing an FNCCI study, he said recent movements caused physical damage worth about Rs 40 billion and total economic losses of Rs 81 billion. He said vandalism and arson in the name of movements inflicted major financial and psychological harm on the private sector.

He said private sector morale has weakened and fears of business failure are spreading. He called for dedicated security arrangements to protect industries and businesses from shutdowns, strikes, and arson. He said investment and job creation cannot grow unless the natural right to conduct business is protected.

Finance Minister Rameshwar Khanal said conditions for investment are highly favorable, but investment growth remains weak.

‘Low inflation, low interest rates, ample market liquidity, high foreign exchange reserves, and surpluses in both the current account and balance of payments create a very favorable investment environment,’ Khanal said. ‘Yet investment growth is extremely weak.’

He said the government is holding repeated dialogues to stop recurring attacks on the private sector. He said assets created by the private sector belong to the nation.

‘Damage to private sector property means damage to the state. From private sector profits, the state earns taxes, employee incomes rise, and services are delivered across society,’ he said.

He said trust is needed not only between the government and the private sector, but also between the private sector and citizens.

Gen Z Front Coordinator Raksha Bam said the past three months felt like three decades of experience. She said the Gen Z movement taught many lessons and clarified that they do not support attacks on the private sector.

‘We all want peace. Everyone must take responsibility for why misgovernance has increased,’ she said.

Participants concluded that cooperation is essential to ensure the security, stability, and prosperity of the private sector, and this message came through clearly from the dialogue.