Combatants will still remain armed: Sharma

BAGLUNG, Sept 7: UCPN (Maoist) leader Dinanath Sharma has said the Maoist combatants would not be disarmed even though the keys of arms containers have been submitted to the government.



Sharma said this while speaking to reporters in Baglung on Wednesday morning. He also said the internal dispute in the party following the handover of the containers keys will not affect the intactness of the party. [break]



“There is a dispute over the handover of the containers keys. But this will not split the party,” Sharma, who is also spokesperson for the party, said, adding, “The upcoming Central Committee [slated for September 18] meeting will tackle the issue.”



Sharma said it was unfortunate that the party’s internal dispute has come into the public gaze. He however expressed his hope that the stalled peace process will gain momentum within the one-and-a-half months.



“The integration [of the combatants] will be completed in that time setting up an integration modality. This will be a great achievement in the peace process," he said.



On the issue of cabinet expansion, he said the government will be a complete entity even if the faction led by party Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya has decided to stay out of it.



He lauded supports of the two other major political parties—CPN UML and Nepali Congress. “At present, they have cooperated with us.” “If we build consensus, there will be a new constitution in three months,” he added.

Related story

Govt to dole out Rs 800 million to disqualified ex-Maoist comba...