KATHMANDU, Jan 21: In an attempt to placate the UCPN (Maoist) in the wake of defense minister’s controversial remarks on integration of Maoist combatants into the Nepal Army, the prime minister asked the party have faith in the government.
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During a meeting of Special Committee on Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation held at his office on Thursday, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said that no one could challenge the decision of the committee which had constitutional mandate and hence binding on all, our correspondent Kiran Chapagain reported. The PM termed his defense minister´s remarks meaningless. [break]
"Therefore, its decisions are binding on all and no one can challenge them," Rakam Chemjong, minister for Peace and Reconstruction, quoted the PM while briefing mediapersons.
The two Maoist members in the committee – Barsa Man Pun and Janardan Sharma – objected to Defense Minister Bidya Bhandari’s remarks ruling out bulk integration of Maoist combatants into the national army even if the special committee decides so.
The meeting could not take up its agenda in the light of the Maoists members walking after registering their protest over Bhandari’s remarks. The meeting was supposed to prepare mechanisms so as to implement a previous decision of bringing the Maoist army under the control of the special committee which is headed by the prime minister. The committee was also going to discuss the 112-day action plan on the integration and rehabilitation package for the 19602 verified Maoist combatants announced by PM Nepal on January 6. The plan, in the initial phase, offers the combatants to choose among politics, integration and rehabilitation. They will have to choose one among the choices at the grab.
At the special committee meeting on Thursday, Pun demanded that the Cabinet has to categorically state its official position on integration of Maoist combatants in the light the defense minister’s comments. "While we take it positively that her remarks have been termed personal, we won’t attend the meeting until the cabinet expresses its views on Bhandari’s remarks."
Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire said the special committee was working as per Article 146 of the Interim Constitution which warrants integration and rehabilitation of the Maoists combatants.
The cabinet has already disowned Bhandari’s remarks. “Her views do not in any way represent the government’s official position on the issues,” Law and Justice Minister, Prem Bahadur Singh said on Wednesday that after the cabinet meeting.
Bhandari, in a press conference on Tuesday had ruled out "bulk integration" of Maoist army personnel into Nepal Army. She had also said that the special committee’s decision on integration would not be acceptable as there was no representation of "concerned stakeholders" (Nepal Army) in the committee.
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