NEPAL: Attempt to split army – army chief

FROM SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NET

KATHMANDU: Chief of Army Staff Rookmangud Katawal said that an attempt has been started to split the army to make it inclusive, on his farewell visit to the army barracks of western Nepal on Sunday.

CoAS insisted that the Nepal Army itself is inclusive, with a unit of Magar and Gurung as well as Madhesi community. Some of the elements have been raising an issue claiming that the Nepal Army is over populated, said Katawal. He claimed that if ethnic communities or other groups were mixed together, it would create fight, chaos and disorder in the country.

In the name of inclusiveness, attempts are being made to split and create unrest in the organisation, which would be unfortunate for the nation. The NA itself is inclusive. Some of them have raised the matter of democracy in the army, when it is actually a democratic institution. It is of Nepali people and any person who fights for honesty with discipline could become the CoAS.

Referring to the peace accord, he claimed that nobody’s combatants could be integrated into the NA. He said that a qualified candidate could be adjusted into any kind of security organ of the state. There are many other option such as shop operations, cleaning utensils, studying and migrating to Dubai and Malaysia for jobs according to the combatants’ desire.

He visited the western region of Pokhara, Palpa and Gulmil on Friday and Salyan, Jajarkot and Dailakh of mid western region on Saturday. He is scheduled to visit the barracks in the far western region on Sunday. He visited the NA barracks of eastern Nepal last week.