Defence Minister rules out bulk integration
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POKHARA, JUN 27 - A day after the Maoist Chairman claimed that all UN-verified combatants of his party are equal to the Nepal Army (NA) personnle, Defence Minister Bidhya Bhandari Sunday said that all the cantoned combatants cannot be integrated into the security bodies.
The defence minister’s remark comes on the heels of UCPN (Maoist) Politburo meeting’s conclusion that all the Maoist fighters are fit for integration. While dubbing the Maoists’ statement as a “bargaining” chip, Bhandari said the stance is against the line of past agreements.
“The international procedure has validated one-weapon-one-combatant method,” said the defence minister adding, “As there are only 3400 weapons, the integration of all is not possible.”
Talking to reporters at Pokhara Airport today, Bhandari said, “If the fighters meet the requirements, all 3400 could be integrated and if they don’t not a single combatant will be integrated.”
Bhandari, while ruling out the bulk integration of the Maoist fighters into the security agencies, said the qualified combatants could join the security force as per their wishes.
“The bulk integration as claimed by the Maoists is not possible,” said Bhandari.
Saying that the government’s plan is to rehabilitate the Maoist fighters into the society through attractive package, the defence minister said, “Qualified combatants could join security agencies if they want to.”
The government wants to sort out the problem of combatants and their weapons in a legal manner, Bhandari said.
Bhandari also charged the Maoists of breaching the past pacts on the combatants and integration.
The Maoists have been rendered incapable of leading the government as they have embraced the single-party politics by ignoring democratic values, the minister added.
“We won’t let the country plunge into totalitarianism by handing over the state power to the Maoists,” said the defence minister.
Posted on: 2010-06-27 05:57
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