PM, BHATTARAI FOR STRENGTHENED NSC

PM BHATTARAI FOR STRENGTHENING NSC
Kathmandu, 10 March: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said the national security council (NSC) should be made a strong constitutional body which can furnish solid suggestions to the government in order to free the country from critical junctures, RSS reports.

Addressing the 11th annual function of the NSC Secretariat here on Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai, however, said the NSC was carrying out its duties honestly.

"I shall make efforts to amend the structure and duties of the NSC in new constitution," he said.

Moreover, Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai stressed that security should be understood as an issue of a comprehensive national security. The security also includes the political, economic, social, diplomatic, information and environment, he added.

In this context, the NSC secretariat should be able to furnish concrete suggestions and recommendation to the NSC and the government.

The NSC secretariat was set up in March 11, 2002.

Defense secretary is the coordinator of the NSC secretariat. There are 59 staffs in the NSC secretariat now.

The ministers for defense and home affairs are the members of the council where the Prime Minister is the chairman. The Chairman can select three others from various parties from the Council of Ministers as per the Interim Constitution of Nepal 2063.

The program was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense and Home Affairs, Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, Minister for Physical Planning and Works, Hridayesh Tripathi, Chief Secretary, Defense Secretary, Chief of Army Staff, and high ranking officials of the security bodies and others.
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MAOISTS MOBILIZED PLA DURING ELECTIONS

Kathmandu, 10 March: Senior leader of the CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal has accused the UCPN-Maoist of using massively its fighters, arms and YCL cadres and capturing booths during the election to the Constituent Assembly, RSS reports. .

Speaking at a talk program organised by the party's women's department of special coordination committee on the occasion of the International Women's Day in the capital on Saturday, leader Nepal said the constitution could not be promulgated until the Maoist party was fully disarmed.

If the constitution was promulgated without concluding peace process and the Maoists with fighters and arms, there won't be fair political competition in the next election, he argued.

Moreover, he said they had no suspicion at all on the Maoist party that it would mobilise its fighters and arms, but it took advantage of the situation that government was feeble to cope with Maoist's tactic, leader Nepal added.

Former prime minister Nepal heaped the blame on the Maoist party that it was politicking in the army in the name of army integration.

UML politburo member Asta Laxmi Shakya stressed the need to end prevailing patriarchal thoughts in Nepali society.

Also speaking on the occasion, UML Constituent Assembly member Brinda Pande said the UML was raising issues of women's rights in every platform.
(Note: NC and UML went for elections when independent observers pointed out Maoists had concentrated their attention in entering villages and consolidating their position in rural and even cities. The so-celled parties never protested and even international observers gave their stamp of approval. UML adopted the same strategy to defeat
former panchas through state power after 1990 and capturing government to toppling the panchas in legislative elections.The present charge against Maoists didn’t come in time.
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