Significant Gains

NOTWITHSTANDING the fact that Maoists’ violence and destructive activities around the country make big headlines, it is increasingly felt that the security forces have made significant gains in their battle against these terrorists. Understandably, when Maoists blow up a bridge or a radio tower, it makes a good deal of noises in the media as people further suffer from the inconveniences that the destruction of these facilities entails. But what may not be immediately apparent to the general public are the advances that the security forces have been making over the past months. Minister for Information and Communications Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta on Tuesday sought to drive home the fact that since the mobilisation of Royal Nepalese Army, the combined security forces have been making notable gains in this Nepalese war against terrorism. He characterised the security forces’ gains as "encouraging". Those who are sick and tired of all this murder and mayhem from terrorists may take some comfort from Minister Gupta’s belief that the security forces would be able to wipe the terrorist activities soon as they had gathered, according to the minister, additional information about the terrorists and their activities.

Coming from the spokesman of His Majesty’s Government that Minister Gupta is, the statement gives room for optimism that this battle will be over soon. The Nepalese have been hearing of the momentum that the security forces have gained what with reports of more and more Maoist attacks being foiled, of arrests of a large number of Maoists and of seizure of a large quantity of weapons. Moreover, Maoist training centres and their hideouts have been neutralised by the security forces. Many observers have attributed Maoists’ recent attacks on development infrastructures as a reaction, born of frustration, to their losing the turf to the security forces’ advances. This was a view also echoed by Minister Gupta who said that the terrorists, now losing their strength and being humiliated have turned to damaging hospitals, ambulances, communications systems and other development infrastructure. All in all, Maoists’ lifeline, as Minister Gupta put it, has been cut off. If the current rate of security forces’ success continues, Nepalese could see this year against terrorism coming to an end sooner than expected.

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