Ideally, the body is expected to have experts from various fields like security, disaster, diplomacy, economy and human rights among others but it is also supposed to be dumping ground for people who are not liked by their seniors. [break]
A retired Brigadier General told Republica that the secretariat has been inactive because it lacks qualified people.
“Nepal Army (NA) should not send experts of guns only but those who can formulate contextual policies for the nation,” he said on the condition of anonymity.
A highly-placed source at the secretariat said the Army Headquarters deputes those officials to NSC whom it thinks should be punished.
Though its mandate has changed after the Interim Constitution and due to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, its structural organization has not changed so far, something that has been a factor behind secretariat being inactive, experts said.
As per the existing provision, the NSC secretariat has responsibilities like formulation of national security policies, evaluation the internal and external dangers, preparing investigative working paper related to national security, facilitating the work of NSC, implementing the decisions of NSC, coordinating with various ministries, security and other agencies and making plans to form taskforce of various experts.
All together there are 59 positions in various departments of NSC including 17 staff at the secretariat alone. There are 9 officers from Nepal Army, six each from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and National Investigative Department, three from civil servants officers and 29 from civil servants for office assistants and other posts.
Furthermore, the prime minister happens to be the head of NSC but successive prime ministers who remained occupied with instable politics could never accord it the priority that it calls for.
“None of the governments and prime ministers gave any priority to the NSC secretariat. Since the defense secretary has been in control of the secretariat, NSC has come to be seen as a place where nothing worthwhile happens,” the retired army official said.
Worse, the government has stopped the allowances to the secretariat staff, something that has dampened the spirit of staffers. The secretariat staff used to enjoy extra 50 percent of their salary as allowances and fuel.
An official at the secretariat said the staff at the secretariat come to office just to sign on attendance register.
Nabin Ghimire, Secretary at Defense Ministry, who is also the member secretary of NSC, said that the delay in completion of the peace process has obscured the significance and role of NSC.
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