The government on April 10 had deployed the national army personnel at all the seven major cantonments and 21 satellite camps with a mandate to take charge of the former Maoist combatants, their weapons and the cantonments.[break]
Article 144 (3) of the Interim Constitution-2007 states that: “The President shall, on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, control, mobilize and manage the Nepal Army in accordance with law." In this case, however, the president was not informed beforehand about the government decision.
"The way the government mobilized Nepal Army on April 10 has clearly breached the constitutional provision," Bhusal said at the SAC meeting on Friday. "Therefore, our committee needs to probe the matter seriously."
Objection from Bhusal, a key member of the Mohan Baidya faction of the Maoist party, against the decision of the government led by her own party Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai is a clear reflection of a widening internal rift in the party.
Meanwhile, CPN-UML lawmaker Pradip Gyawali echoed Bhusal and demanded that the issue be probed and studied seriously given the gravity of the issue.
Gyawali, however, said it needs to be first ascertained whether the issue falls under SAC´s jurisdiction as there is another special committee on security headed by the speaker of parliament as well.
SAC Chairman Ramnath Dhakal announced that the committee will take up the issue only if it falls under its jurisdiction. "We will consult the legal experts as well as other concerned officials," Dhakal said at the meeting.
Related story
Return of autocratic monarchy is impossible: Pampha Bhusal
