KATHMANDU, Feb 11: Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) was virtually divided on whether Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal should attend the 14th anniversary function of the Maoists’ People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Hattikhor of Nawalparasi on Thursday.
According to a member in the Committee, when PM Dahal expressed his interest to attend the function in the Committee’s meeting on Wednesday, Nepali Congress members suggested that PM, as head of the government, should not attend the function of a rebel army. Other party members except the Maoists also suggested the PM to avoid the function.
AISC headed by the PM has two members each from Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Nepali Congress, Communist party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist and Madhesi People´s Rights Forum.
Dahal was supreme commander of the PLA before he was appointed PM. Command of the PLA has been given to Nanda Kishor Pun but the PLA is still a party wing.
The meeting decided to draw up modality of supervision, control and direction of the Maoist combatants, the main task of the committee given by the constitution and other agreements, in the next meeting. “The meeting decided to prepare terms of reference (TOR) for a committee of experts in the Committee’s next meeting,” said Nepali Congress representative in the Committee, Dr Minendra Rijal.