Excerpts:
myrepublica.com: How do you see the latest government decision not to extend the terms of the eight Brigadier Generals?
Pant: Their terms should have been naturally extended. It is a huge loss to the nation, the army and, of course, the individuals themselves.
myrepublica.com: It looks like the law has bestowed power on the Defense Ministry rather than the cabinet. Is this a flaw? Was this decision politically motivated?
Earlier, even the National Security Council used to be involved while taking such a decision. The Defense Ministry used to act as the facilitator and take the matter to the Council of Ministers, which would take a final decision. Later on, when Girija Prasad Koirala was the Prime Minister as well as the Defense Minster, this process was shortened probably because he kept very busy.
When the Nepali Congress was in power, this arrangement was perfectly fine. However, since a party that has its own fighters is now in charge of the Defense Ministry, this seems to have created problems.
myrepublica.com: Do you see this as the Defense Ministry taking revenge against the army for disobeying its earlier order not to go ahead with recruitment?
Pant: Maybe. The letter for their extension was sent to the ministry about a month and a half back. The extension should have happened naturally. According to the media, the ministry had approved the extension but it was withdrawn at the last minute. Hence, the motive is questionable.
myrepublica.com: Didn´t the army violate the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) by recruiting soldiers? Isn´t it responsible for the current row?
Pant: There is nothing wrong in what the army did. The CPA bars both the parties from "additional recruitment" but this is not additional recruitment. I retired and so there is an empty post. Similarly, many others retire or resign after they are eligible for pension. These vacant posts have to be filled.
This is not the first time that the army is recruiting soldiers following the signing of the CPA. The army had had recruited soldiers twice after signing the CPA. The parliament has passed a budget for maintaining a full strength, hence there is nothing wrong with it. I sense a communication gap between the Army Headquarters and the Defense Ministry.
myrepublica.com: Will this create a leadership vacuum in the army? Or are there equally competent officers in the lower ranks to fill these vacant posts?
Pant: Our army does not have a dearth of competent officers. These eight officers were good, so are the officers senior and junior to them. What we must remember is that these officers had reached the position of Brigadier General after passing through many filters and deserve to take higher responsibilities.
myrepublica.com: If the army can go ahead with recruitment, why cannot the People´s Liberation Army (PLA) do the same?
Pant: First of all, be clear that they are not the PLA but Maoist fighters. We have to use the term used in the CPA. The Maoist fighters are the ones who have been verified by UNMIN and are now based in the cantonments. They are there for a temporary time. After their integration and rehabilitation, they will cease to exist. The army is a national and a permanent institution. There is no comparison between the Maoist fighters and the army.
myrepublica.com: Why isn´t the integration of the two armies taking place?
Pant: Be clear that it is not an integration of two armies. This is a commonly held misconception. When we talk of the Maoist fighters, there are three aspects to it: taking care, integration and rehabilitation. The government has been taking care of them. Integration has now become the catchword but no one talks of rehabilitation, which should be of primary concern. It is not necessary that all the Maoist fighters have to join the security forces. It depends on the individual wish of the fighters.
Also, the CPA does not specifically talk of integration of the fighters into the National Army. It says that they can join the "security forces" possibly, provided they meet the standard norms. The term "security forces" also means the Armed Police Force, the Nepal Police and the National Investigation Department.
The Special Committee comprising representative from major political parties has been formed to deal with the issue. They will have to do it as early as possible as it is for the broader national interest.
myrepublica.com: Do you think that the tussle between the army and the Maoist leadership will widen?
Pant: To begin with, there should be no tussle. The whole purpose of the CPA and Agreement on Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies was to narrow down the differences and ultimately come to a meeting point.
The rift may widen if the parties try to push forward their party agenda rather than the national agenda because the army is a national institution. It cannot side with anyone.
myrepublica.com: If the incumbent army chief had acted proactively and briefed the president and the prime minister on the need to retain the Brigadier Generals, would we have faced such a situation?
Pant: This is a normal process. The extension should have automatically happened.
myrepublica.com: The opinion among a lot of top retired army officers is divided. Some say that the government was right in not extending the terms of the Brigadier Generals.
Pant: People have their own interests and opinions. I care about national and institutional interests and both have been badly hit.
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