KATHMANDU, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) Sunday urged all political parties to exercise restraint in response to the latest political developments.

    In a press statement issued on Sunday evening, OHCHR-Nepal said, "Organizers of rallies should ensure that participants act in a peaceful manner and within the law."

    Police should prevent violence and respond with restraint and the minimum force required to maintain order, should it be necessary, the statement said. All sides should respect the rights of journalists to carry out their professional activities, it added.

    OHCHR-Nepal issued the statement after the Nepali government decided to sack Chief of the Army Staff (CoAS) Rookmangud Katawal on Sunday.

    The other four parties in the coalition government including the main opposition party Nepali Congress have already criticized the government's move as a unilateral decision and are organizing protest rallies.

    Meanwhile, the Nepali Ministry for Home Affairs has asked the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force to stay on high alert after the main opposition party Nepal Congress (NC) affiliated student's union Nepal Student Union (NSU) cadres clashed with United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) cadres in the capital Kathmandu.