INCLUSION ONLY A SLOGAN WITH MAOISTS AS INTEGRATION BEGINS IN STATE ARMY Kathmandu, 13 Oct.: For Maoist leaders, eliminating a caste-based social structure and ensuring social inclusion for all was purportedly one of the major goals in initiating the decade-long insurgency that claimed over 15,000 lives, Kiran Pun writes in Republica.. However, as the much-trumpeted integration of former Maoist combatants into the Nepal Army comes to an end six years after the former rebels came into the peace process, a snap analysis of the gender, caste and region -- the core parameters of inclusion -- of the 71 individuals selected for officer-rank integration into the Nepal Army gives one the pessimistic impression that the cause of social inclusion has completely lost out. Based on data on integrated ex-Maoist combatants gleaned by Republica, it is apparent that social inclusion has failed to get translated into action. For instance, males continue to get the lion´s share and the Bahun, Chhetri and Thakuri emerge as dominate castes among the 71 officers who are scheduled to start vigorous army training within one and half months. Gender-wise The alarming gender-wise imbalance among the newly selected 71 officers of the Nepal Army is reason enough for pessimism, with only four women commanders succeeding in winning officer-level rank. Among the four, former brigade vice-commanders Bimala Pant Lama and Shashi Kala Bhattarai have been recommended for the rank of major once they complete their basic training. Former battalion commander Man Kumari Rai and former company commander Mina Kumari Basnet are the other two selected for officer rank. The PLA was itself no stranger to gender imbalance as Kamala Naharki was the highest ranking woman in the erstwhile Maoist combat outfit and the only woman at that level. A PLA brigade commander is five rungs below the supreme commander. Interestingly, there was not a single high-ranking commander from the Madhesi community, and Daljit Shreepali was the only division vice-commander from the entire dalit community. Region-wise Disparity was also seen in terms of region, as the eastern region has sent a majority of officers while the western region, the epicenter of the insurrection, could send only 27 officers. Among the seven PLA divisions, the seventh division, which mainly represented Seti and Mahakali zones, sent just eight officers while the sixth division based in Bheri-Karnali was able to send seven. And in a big surprise, the fifth division, which was based in Rolpa and used to be the backbone of Maoist military structure, has sent only two officers. Caste-wise A caste-wise analysis shows that Magars, who are not only the third largest ethnic group in Nepal but also the ethnic community that suffered the highest death toll during the insurgency, secured only three positions. Among them, Birendra BM was a former PLA division vice-commander while Himmat Baral was brigade commander and Bharat Pulami Magar, a PLA combatant. Likewise, only nine officers were selected from the Tamang and Tharu communities, the fourth and fifth largest ethnic groups in the country. Among the other janajaties, the Rais have secured five officers, while the Limbu and Newar communities sent only three and one officer respectively. The story is more or less similar for the dalits as the community was able to send three officers, including one from among Madhesi dalits. However, not a single officer representing the Gurung or Muslim communities was selected. Meanwhile, former Maoist leader Mani Thapa has said, “The Maoists raised the inclusion and proportional representation agenda only so that they, and in particular Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai, could get to the center of the ruling class”, adding that former division commander Yam Bahadur Adhikari was selected as the chief officer from the PLA side, skipping more capable commanders Santa Kumar Darai and Suk Bahadur Toka Magar. “This is a serious betrayal of Rolpa and the base areas, especially Rapti, Bheri, Karnali, Seti and Mahakali, which bore the brunt of the sacrifice during the insurgency. It is also a serious betrayal of all those youths whom Dahal instructed to abandon their formal education, arguing that education was nothing and revolution was everything,” Thapa said. Nnnn CHANGUNAYRAN TEMPLE LISTED AS A WORLD HERITAGE THREATENED Kathmandu, 13 Oct.: The famous world heritage Changunayran Temple in Bhaktapur is at risk as concrete houses are built around the temple, RSS reports from Bhaktapur.. “The temple is at risk as modern and large houses are built without permission”, said Chief of the Monument Preservation and Palace Care Office of the Department of Archaeology, Aruna Nakarmi. As per provision, only traditional houses can be built and they shouldn’t be taller than 35 meters. Similarly, the roofs of houses should be slanted and map needs to be approved. These provisions are not abided by locals, added the officer. nnnn