There is some weight in what the PM has this time publicly charged, as out of the 4,008 disqualified combatants, 1,614 had deserted the camps. This fact was revealed on Feb 8, the day the discharge process was completed. If what the PM has said is true, then it only becomes obvious that the UCPN (Maoist) is not disclosing the actual figure of the PLA fighters and that the party is enjoying the perks and salaries of combatants who have deserted the cantonments. Needless to say, this is a blatant misuse of state coffers. The PLA combatants get paid Rs 5,000 each per month. The UNMIN registered 19,602 Maoists combatants in December 2007 following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
It can also be derived from the PM’s remark that the Maoist leadership is no longer in direct control of the combatants. The fact that the Maoist leaders have yet not gathered the courage to condemn or issue clarification on the PM’s observation only strengthens Nepal’s point of view. The onus to prove him wrong, if he is at all, only falls on the already burdened shoulders of the Maoist leaders. Their silence so far shows that it is plausible that the original numbers of combatants may just not be there in the cantonments anymore.
Meanwhile, the UNMIN too has to share its part of the responsibility in this as it is the only body entrusted with the task of managing and monitoring the arms and armies of the PLA. UNMIN, it seems, is usually the last body to know what exactly is happening inside the guarded cantonments that it is supposed to monitor. If UNMIN knows what the actual number of combatants is, it must reveal it as soon as possible. And if it does not know, it must resume counting at once. UNMIN must show the competence to tell the truth as they owe it to the people of this country.
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