After 8 yrs, India to resume arms supply to NA

KATHMANDU, JUL 11 - After an eight-year hiatus, Nepal Army (NA) is all set to receive the first consignment of military hardware from India.

The southern neighbour had banned the supply of such hardware since 2005 after former king Gyanendra Shah took over executive powers and restricted democratic and civil liberties.

"Following the successful completion of the integration of former Maoist combatants into the NA and the decision of the Government of Nepal to resume imports of equipment for the NA, these materials, identified in the Bilateral Consultative Group on Security Issues, will be supplied to Nepal over the coming months," a fact sheet on Nepal-India partnership released on Tuesday said.

The immediate supplies sought by the Nepali side are valued at NRs 1.76 billion and that includes those for military education exchanges, joint exercises and supplies of military equipment. While some of them will be given as grant, some will be in the form of loan with 60 percent down payment and 40 percent subsidy, a senior government official told the Post. However, India will later write off the loan upon our request, the official added.

On April 13, a Cabinet meeting had decided to purchase regular arms , ammunition and explosives for the Army.

The NA has decided to purchase 11.132 million cartridges and bullets, 24,166 weapons of various kinds and 81 and 51mm mortars. "The government has already given a go-ahead to the NA to purchase these weapons," a highly-placed government source told the Post. The NA will also purchase other military hardware like mines, detonators, safety fuses and time pencils.

On March 15, the major political parties represented in the Special Committee for Supervision, Itegration and Rehabilitation of Maoist Combatants had removed restrictions put in place by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in purchasing arms and ammunition.

The CPA, signed between the then seven party-led government and the Maoists on November 21, 2006, and the Agreement on the Monitoring and Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA) signed on December 8, 2006, had confined the Army to the barracks and barred it from recruiting additional troops and transporting arms and ammunition.

Labels: News