IANS
 
Kathmandu, Sep 2: At least four people were feared killed after a series of bombs exploded in at least five busy areas of Kathmandu valley Sunday afternoon, a year after the Maoists signed a peace pact with the government and ended their violent guerrilla war.

Early reports said four people including two women were killed and over two dozens injured in the blasts, spreading panic and casting doubts about the upcoming election.

Four of the busiest areas in the capital, Balaju, Kalimati, Tundikhel and Tripureshwor, were targeted by unknown attackers.

Around 4.15 pm, a bomb went off in a public bus before the gate of the Balaju Industrial Area. Two passengers were said to have been killed.

About the same time, another bomb went off in front of the newly built World Trade Centre in Tripureshwor, Kathmandu's tallest shopping complex and conference area.

The blast hit students of a nearby school, Vishwa Niketan, who were waiting on the road to catch public buses back home.

Anita KC, a 12th grader from Thankot, died on the spot, while nearly a dozen students were injured. 

A woman who was also killed in the blast could not be identified immediately.

Yet another blast took place close to Tripureshwor in Tundikhel, near the army officers' club.

No one claimed responsibility for the explosions.

The bombings came on a day the capital was thrown out of gear by protests called by the Maoists to pressure the government into releasing over 40 of their cadres arrested last month after clashes with other student groups.

The Young Communist League (YCL), the youth wing of the Maoists, called a Kathmandu valley shutdown on Sep 9, which would be followed by an indefinite closure.

With just 80 days to go before the crucial election on November 22, 2007 Sunday's attacks would create new obstacles in Nepal's political roadmap.

Journalist Kishore Shrestha, whose Jana Aastha tabloid is known for its contacts in the government and Maoists, predicted that the Maoists could pull out of the eight-party government and refuse to take part in the election.

They have already been pressuring the government to declare Nepal a republic immediately without waiting for the election.

The guerrillas are contending that King Gyanendra would not sit idly and let the election take place when it could jeopardise his crown.

Earlier this year, they persuaded the ruling parties to amend the constitution and add a provision, which says if parliament feels the king is trying to sabotage the election or foment any other anti-national activity, it can abolish monarchy through a proclamation provided two-third of the MPs agree.

On the other hand, two groups of former Maoists in the Terai plains have warned the government they would not allow the polls to be held till their demands are met.

To add to the complications, an ethnic group with which the government last week inked a pact and averted fresh protests by them, split on Monday.

The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum that signed a deal with the government last week has stoked trouble both within the party and among the Maoists, who are condemning the pact.