This is a damaging statement, to say the least. It is a completely different matter altogether as to whether or not Maoist combatants should be integrated into NA en masse. However, the fact that the minister is saying that NA will even go to the extent of defying the decisions of the Special Committee does not augur well for the peace process and democracy. And this is not the first time that Minister Bhandari has come up with such a provocative statement. Hence, it is time PM Madhav Kumar Nepal told her to shape up or ship out. Period!
Minister Bhandari also seems to like frequently reminding everyone that nowhere in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) has it been mentioned that Maoist combatants would be integrated into NA. True, the CPA nowhere specifically talks of integrating the combatants into NA. But it talks of integrating the combatants into the security forces and that also includes the NA. The minister made another wayward claim that the Special Committee is not mandated to work for the integration of the Maoist combatants. To this, we can only ask her to go and read Article 4.4 of the CPA, which states that “the interim cabinet shall form a special committee to carry out monitoring, integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.” Finally, her argument that there is no representation of stakeholders (read her ministry and army) in the Special Committee too does not hold much water. The army is headed by a civilian government and we have representatives from the government in the Committee and that should suffice.
We urge PM Nepal to clear the air of mistrust, which has built up following her statements, as soon as possible and rein in the errant minister. It is time he took strong action against her for not toeing the official line and, most importantly, putting the peace process in jeopardy.
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