Nepal, July 9 -- CPN-UML has withdrawn from the government's task force formed to prepare a discussion paper on constitutional amendments, accusing the panel of pursuing an unclear agenda and raising issues that could undermine the spirit of the federal democratic republic.

In a letter addressed to the task force coordinator, UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel said the party had formally recalled its representative, Dr Bhishma Adhikari, who had initially joined the panel formed by a Cabinet decision.

Pokharel said the task force's proceedings had been questionable from the outset, arguing that the scope of the proposed constitutional amendments had never been clearly defined. He also said the government had failed to clarify its po...