Nepal's government yesterday renewed its appeal to Maoist rebels for talks in a bid to get them to call off a six-day blockade of the capital, hit by new jitters as suspected guerillas shot dead a pedestrian. The Maoists, who control much of the Himalayan kingdom, have declared the capital of 1.5 million people off limits to traffic as part of their drive to topple the constitutional monarchy. Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari reiterated his appeal to the rebels for talks. "We are ready to be as flexible as possible and discuss their grievances," he said. A key rebel demand for ending the blockade - which is being enforced by fear of reprisals rather than by roadblocks - is that the government stop calling them terrorists. Asked about the terrorist label, Adhikari said: "Let them come to the negotiation table. We will discuss whatever they want." The government on Friday agreed to another demand by saying it would release within a month information on an unspecified number of leftist activists. Prem Bahadur Thokare, a small-time contractor, was hit by two bullets as he walked past the home of an army officer in the capital's outlying Kapan Sawaraswoti Nagar area. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Nepalese police officers check motorcyclists and pillion passengers bag contents at a checkpoint in Kathmandu. (AFP)