After Prachanda called on the political parties on Sunday to set up a negotiating team, the parties are learnt to be deep in discussions about how to respond. But the Maoists themselves haven\'t set up any such negotiating team of their own. If Girija Koirala is in the team then the Maoists are expected to set up a new team, according to the Maoist mouthpiece Janaadesh . Sources say the Maoist offer for talks came after secret overtures between them and after Koirala affirmed he was ready to talk if the Maoists stopped attacking political parties. The parties are still suspicious of Maoist intentions and are also wary of the government\'s response to them talking to a group declared as 'terrorist\'. But they haven\'t ruled out negotiations and are reportedly discussing the composition of their team. If Koirala and Madhab Nepal are on the team, it is likely that Prachanda will also be on the team from the Maoist side. Government ministers have said the parties will also be declared as terrorists if they talk to the Maoists. Other party leaders like KP Oli of the UML have dismissed the Maoist calls for talks, saying talks with those believing in violence was out of the question. It is not clear how the government will react to future talks but there are rumours of an imminent reshuffle in the council of ministers.

Meanwhile, the army sent commandos to Kabhre and Sindhuli after getting intelligence reports that Prachanda was in the area. Although the units looked for the Maoist leader everywhere, he appears to have slipped away after Maoists got wind of increased military activity. One of the units that was returning to the capital after the operation was ambushed at Nepalthok on the Sindhuli Highway on 7 July and two soldiers were injured.