COLOMBO: During the opening session of the three-day “Hands off Asia” international conference organized by the International People’s Assembly in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Prachanda, coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party and former Prime Minister, presented a political blueprint for building socialism.

Addressing the event as a keynote speaker, he analyzed the achievements and challenges of the Asian communist movement, emphasizing that a policy of non-alignment and socialist construction remains a shared historical necessity for oppressed nations navigating a shifting global power balance and superpower rivalry.

The conference also featured Sri Lankan Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi discussing alternative pro-people development models amidst rigid IMF loan conditions, and renowned Marxist historian Vijay Prashad analyzing global militarization, sovereign debt crises, and the rise of the far-right as interlinked imperialist structures.

On the sidelines of the event, Prachanda engaged in bilateral and multilateral meetings with left-wing leaders from Asia and Latin America (including Cuba, Venezuela, and Brazil), while Nepali communist leader Balram Baskota presented a working paper on the role of imperialism in dividing left-wing forces.