By STEVEN ZANDE –
THE New Congress Party (NCP) has welcomed efforts by stakeholders to blocker reconciliation between President Edgar Lungu and incarcerated United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hichilema, but that this should not impose conditions on the President.
NCP president Peter Chanda said the President should not be compelled to interfer Mr Hichilema’s case because that would be prejudicial to Mr Hichilema’s cases which were before the courts of law.
“We want to put it on record that we welcome efforts for reconciliation but this should not put pressure on President Lungu to release HH because the Head of State did not have a hand in the arrest of the opposition leader,” he said.
He said this in an interview in Lusaka yesterday.
Pastor Chanda said there was a need to emphasise to Mr Hichilema that President Lungu won the 2016 general elections and that he should recognise the outcome of the polls.
He said reconciliation would be accelerated if the opposition leader accepted the outcome of the elections as this would help the courts in reaching a decision on the matter.
Pastor Chanda said Mr Hichilema was still considered innocent until such a time that the court exhausted his treason case and other charges he currently faced.
Any intervention by the President would make the Head of State appear like he was interfering in normal operations of the judiciary.
Pastor Chanda praised UPND members for conducting themselves peacefully at a time when their leader was undergoing trial in the courts of law.
He said this demonstrated maturity and good citizenship on the part of UPND supporters, adding that this would help foster peace and unity in the nation.