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Nepali academicians begin pondering over! N.P.UPADHYAYA
The frightening story I am talking about today is a real one. However, the dates of the said events I can't recall at the moment but it should have been around the time of 1990 popular movement when Nepal restored democratic order in the country.
The Interim Prime Minister then was a senior Congressman, Shri Krishna Prasad Bhattarai. By virtue of the success of the 1990 popular movement, the Interim Prime Minister was equipped with all the powers that are generally not held by a democratic prime minister any where in the world.
Thanks that the then monarch, late King Birendra too was friendly with the new Prime Minister and the latter, as he continues to be a take-it-easy man, too more often than not used to meet for private talks at the Palace.
Both have had forged a sort of friendly ties with each other without undermining the protocol.
One fine evening suddenly the Prime Minister proposed the monarch, "Look Your Majesty! Since we have no enemies to fight so we don't need the Army as such".
The earth under the feet of the King shook upon listening to the Prime Minister's "explanation" as regards the National Army. But then yet he did not lose his temper nor indicated the Prime Minister that he was not that happy with his explanations vis-à-vis the army.
After a couple of minutes the King is presumed to have said (as the rumors had it then), "Look! If unfortunately some countries near or far attacked our country then even with the limited strength that we have the army will keep the soldiers of the enemy side at some distance. Albeit, I can understand that Nepali army will not be able to continue the battle for long but even if they push the enemy for ten minutes only, the glory and the prestige of the country will not go to the dogs".
Listening to the King's frank explanation, the Prime Minister is supposed to have got the point and hence onward he never touched upon this topic.
But the topic of downsizing of the Nepali army has not come to an end. Some one somewhere is found talking on the same topic for unknown reasons even today.
Why the Nepali army is being observed as unfriendly by some Nepali nationals? And why some foreign observers have made it a point to demoralize the Nepali army?
Talking as of today, the Army to the best of my knowledge has already assured the new Nepal government that they were at the command of the new government. They have also said that they will abide by the instructions of the government as and when such instructions are made.
We have plenty of reasons to believe in what the military personals have been saying after the fresh political change.
After all we are a nation and every nation has strength of national Army, which is only but natural.
Those who are talking of downsizing the strength of the army must not forget that soon we will have another set of army merging into the mainstream army. In that case our military prowess will increase but not will be the otherwise.
After all, Red army is also composed of Nepali nationals and their peaceful merger would be a welcome move.
In such a situation, Kofi Annan's Samuel Tamrat's recent declaration that "he agreed with the Indian authorities over the downsizing of the NEPALI army" carries special importance which deserve discussion among the Nepali academicians!
After all why some men here and there raise this topic time and again? What size the Nepali army should have is a matter to be decided by the Nepalese including our Maoists brothers. Why India or for that matter Tamrat take increasing interest in our exclusive internal matters? Academicians begin pondering over!
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