E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, AUG 05 - Defence Minister of the caretaker government, Bidhya Bhandari, has claimed "the government would mobilise security forces" to halt the recruitment drive announced by Maoist's People's Liberation Army (PLA).

"Legal and political problem will arise if the PLA starts fresh hiring," Bhandari told reporters on Monday. "It will pose a challenge to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CAP)." 

She said the PLA's move can't be justified as the recruitment decision has been announced amid parties' call for the transformation of the Maoist party into a "civilian party".

Her remark comes at a time when the government and Maoists are at loggerheads over the recruitment of 3,464 personnel in the Nepal Army. PLA on Tuesday announced to vaccancy for 12,000 personnel, following in Army's footsteps. 

Defending the Army's decision, Bhandari said the Army won't stop its "regular recruitment" as the CPA doesn't bar it to recruit new personnel within the ceiling of 95,000, the total strength when the agreement was signed in 2006. 

"We can't compare the national Army with the Maoist's army. The Army is a permanent force and we can't suspend its recruitment for indefinite time," she said.

She also didn't spare the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) this time too. The UNMIN is "acting beyond its jurisdiction" by opposing the recruitment decision of the Army, Bhandari said. "The UNMIN has a limited mandate. It has no authority to say there can be recruitment in the Army or not." The Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction would soon lodge an objection against the UNMIN's position, she said.

Expressing deep concern over reports that the announcements of the Army and PLA to undertake fresh recruitment, the UNMIN on Tuesday had said recruitment by either side will breach the CPA and the Agreement on the Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies.

Posted on: 2010-08-05 09:55

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