Nepal government begins revamping army

Nepal's new government began a revamp of its controversial army to remove the last vestiges of control exerted by King Gyanendra and royalists and bring it totally under its own control.

The changes start from the top with the chief of the Nepal Army, General Pyar Jung Thapa, who came under sharp criticism for aiding the king to seize power and impose direct rule for 15 months by gagging the political parties and media, going on leave with just a month left for his retirement.

The council of ministers headed by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Monday appointed the second most senior army official, Lt. Gen Rukmangad Katuwal, acting chief of the army.

Besides the appointment, the cabinet made sweeping changes in three military acts formulated nearly 30 to 50 years ago to strengthen its control and break the stranglehold of a few elite communities who have been occupying key posts during the 238-year rule of the current Shah dynasty of kings.

The king has been stripped of his traditional post as commander-in-chief of the army, which now goes to the army chief. He is also no longer empowered to appoint the army chief, a duty that has been given to the cabinet.

In the past, the army was mobilised upon the recommendation of a security council that included the prime minister, defence minister and army chief.

However, since the premiers in the past favoured retaining the defence portfolio, it was a one against one choice when controversial issues arose, with the army carrying the day by virtue of the support of the palace.

Now the council will be headed by the PM and include the defence, home, finance and foreign ministers with the army chief being dropped from it.

While in the past the army made its own recruitment, now it would be done by a public service commission. Also, the Army Welfare Fund, a subject of raging controversy with allegations of misuse of the money by the top brass, including senior army officers' wives, will now be managed by a committee.

While the current acts say the army would be constituted by the king according to necessity, the revised draft says the government shall establish and manage the army for the independence, sovereignty, geographical integrity and national unity of Nepal.

Now the government would have the power to dismiss any army officer, including the chief and has banned soldiers from joining any political party or participating in political programmes.

Once parliament approves of the changes, a new Act will replace the three existing military acts.

However, despite the sweeping changes, it will take longer to eradicate all royal influence on the army.

The new officiating army chief, for instance, is considered a royalist, who received the patronage of the late king Mahendra, the present king's father.

Like General Thapa, Lt. Gen Katuwal was also summoned after the fall of King Gyanendra's government to face interrogation about his role in suppressing the anti-king protests that forced the monarch to step down in April.

(IANS)

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