Nepal’s government and political parties were unable on Wednesday to form the high level army integration committee and the political steering committee proposed and expected long ago due to the fresh barriers set by the Nepali Congress (NC) known for its love for status quoism.
NC leaders refused to join the army integration committee and the high level political steering committee considered so vital for managing the country’s decade-long armed Maoist insurgency.
Maoists emerged as the largest political force in Nepal after the 10-april constituent assembly elections. However, the peace process continues and the Maoist People’ Liberation Army (PLA) are in the UN-monitored cantonments.
The NC, after being defeated in the elections, has rendered vague its attitude towards the peace process. Before the constituent assembly elections, all parties were preaching of army integration and rehabilitation.
After the Maoists, in the capacity of the largest political party, began to lead the government, the NC, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) and the Terai Democratic Madhesh Party (TDMP) have publicly said that the Maoist combatants must not be integrated into the national army.
The NC claims that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed between Maoists and other parties does not contain an element of the integration of the Nepal Army and the Maoist PLA.
On the contrary, Maoists say that the Agreement does have that element though not in specific formats. They argue that stakeholders themselves need to work out integration and rehabilitation details. Under the heading of Management of Army and Arms, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 4.4 states, “Interim Council of Ministers shall form a special committee in order to inspect, integrate and rehabilitate the Maoist combatants."
However, the special committee to inspect, integrate and rehabilitate the Maoists combatants has not been formed to this day. It was expected before the elections. At present, the Nepali Congress demands its own leadership and control in the special committee.
On the one hand, the NC has been disseminating its opinion that the state has never recognized the Maoist PLA that, therefore, must not be integrated into the national army because of the fear of politicization, on the other, special campaigns by Terai’s armed groups and Youth Force affiliated to the UML, one of the government coalition partners, have been going on to murder Maoist political workers.
People fear some attempts from the background to reverse the peace process are being made. During the armed insurgency, monarchist death squads armed with latest weapons and disguised under the banner of Maoists had massacred hundreds of innocent civilians. The weapons distributed to those death squads have not been seized yet. Nor have the mercenaries been arrested yet.
Should the peace process being monitored by the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) be reversed as desired by arms smugglers and brokers, Nepalis may have to experience the fate of Somalia, Congo, Sudan or other countries with similar experiences.
Policy and justice advocates of Nepal need to lobby strongly in favor of political and socio-economic transformation without which the Nepalis will not be able to enjoy sustainable peace.