Otherwise, why would he inquire with the chiefs of the armed forces the maximum number of the combatants that they can integrate in their respective organizations? We appreciate the prime minister’s initiative and urge the armed forces to maintain maximum flexibility in accommodating former combatants in their organizations. It’s also the duty of the armed forces to support the delicate transition. The chiefs of the armed forces must, therefore, become accommodative about the integration number to the extent possible.
We also urge the Maoists not to be adamant about the integration issues, including the number of combatants to be integrated into the national army. As we see it, there is actually a broader understanding about the integration number. Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has privately told leaders in Kathmandu and Delhi that his party would want around 5,000 combatants to be integrated into the armed forces. Since he also conceded in the leaked Shaktikhor video tape that there were only about 7,000 Maoist combatants during the “People’s War”, it’s only reasonable to argue that the integration number should not exceed 7,000. As the United Nations Mission in Nepal’s tenure has been extended for the last time by another four months, this is one big opportunity – and perhaps the last one – for the Maoists to sort out the issue and transform the party into a truly civilian one. We urge them to seize it.
Whether or not the Special Committee will be able to address the issue, including integration and rehabilitation, will largely determine the future course of Nepali politics. Despite some progress lately, the political deadlock is unlikely to be over any time soon. Though Maoist Chiarman Dahal has withdrawn from the race of prime minister, the current round of election process will not be over unless another contestant in the race, Ram Chandra Poudel, also drops out.
And Poudel has already made it clear that he has no intention to do so without a comprehensive agreement among the major political forces on all contentious issues. In all likelihood, the parties will continue to squabble for several weeks, if not months, to come. If the Special Committee conclusively addresses the issue of Maoist combatants in the next four months, it will have resolved one of the major contentious issues of the peace process, and it will facilitate negotiations on power sharing. Without the Special Committee making headway on this issue in the next few months, there is a danger that the country will revert back to violence, even war.
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