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If Defense Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa’s announcement in Pokhara a few days ago to limit the service period in the army to 30 years is implemented, more than 70 generals will lose their jobs within a year. [break]
That is the prospect the army generals dread as the rift between the army headquarter and the Defense Ministry shows no sign of abating.
The involuntary retirement given to the armed police and intelligence officials a week ago has only deepened their paranoia.
All generals of up to the 15th basic training batch are to be pensioned off immediately and those of 16th and 17th batches will be going home within a year if the government applies the 30-year service rule in the Nepal Army.
Most of the incumbent brigadiers are from 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th batches of basic training. “Most of the brigadier generals are from the batches of 1975 to 1980 and all of them will be going if the [30-year] provision is applied here,” said one general. Incumbent army chief Rookmangud Katawal has served in the army for 40 years and his successors have been in service for 32 to 36 years.
Both the lieutenant generals -- Kul Bahadur Khadka and Chhatra Man Singh Gurung -- are 7th batch cadets who have already served for more than 34 years. Army chief Katawal got direct entry into the army and so does not belong to any basic training batch.
Most of the major generals including Nepal Bhushan Chand are from the 10th batch or earlier and have already completed 32 years in service. Major Generals Daman Ghale, Anil Jung Thapa and Netra Bikram Thapa will also be going immediately.
There are seven or eight generals from Brigadier Dipak Gurung’s batch who will retire immediately. Five of the generals who are fighting a court case against the government decision to retire them are from 11th batch, of 1975.
Already engaged in a bitter dispute with the Maoist-led Defense Ministry over a number of issues, senior generals are aggrieved by the Defense Minster Thapa’s latest statement.
“A military institution is not like the police or the National Investigation Department, where people get promoted after the completion of a certain number of years,” a general said. “We have several command and staff courses to attend before getting promoted to certain positions.”
yuvraj@myrepublica.com
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