What if military fails?

It is really startling to note the government’s resolve to deploy the military in some sixteen chosen districts to quell apparently the threats of the Maoists’ insurgents. Whether this conclusion was appropriate at this juncture could well be a matter of debate for the intellectuals of the country. But to the best of our knowledge, the use or say the mobilization of the army in the Maoists’ affected areas of the Kingdom, as suggested by some Nepali scholars, would have been left for some time as the insurgents too had been signaling their wish to sit on the table for talks with the government provided some of their demands were met prior to the negotiations.

The abrupt decision of the government to send military troops in the districts of the western region has definitely drawn the attention of the Nepalese intellectuals who possess different views regarding the deployment. This is not unusual in a democracy to possess different or even two diametrically opposed views on a particular topic. In essence this is the beauty of this system. However, a section of the literati strongly maintains that when the possibilities of the talks were not yet exhausted or capped and that when the both, read the government and the Maoists, in some way or the other had been hinting through accredited personalities or even through some HR activists that the talks for arriving at an amicable solution to the imbroglio could be held, the fresh stance taken by the establishment only conformed to the view that the state did not prefer talks as against guns. This section also pleads that the nation’s military force is normally used to protect the borders and foreign enemies. However, in their opinion, the military force here in our case is solely being mobilized to kill their own brethren. More so, question this set of intellectuals, as to what would happen if the military failed in controlling the Maoists threats in the districts where they have been freshly deployed? Should we then entreat the neighboring countries to send their military personnel to curb the threat that is well inside our own territories at least for the time being? Will not the Nepali army’s failure invite a sort of civil war in this otherwise peaceful nation? Consider what would be the nation’s picture then one group fighting with the other, precisely both the warring factions being the sons of this soil? Will not the emerging situation invite chaos and total disrespect for the system now in place? It is in this light the fresh Deuba comment should be viewed in which he is on record to have said that during the festival days, he have had already a round of talks with the top-hats of the Maoists insurgency and that they have expressed their explicit desire to go in for talks. Deuba till to day is the chief of the government constituted committee for the Maoists. He is yet to resign from his post offered to him by the Koirala establishment. Deuba still has some hope that he could bring in the insurgents to the table. His confidence expressed in this regard should have been respected any way. Jumping to harsh decisions is easy but to control the disturbed situation later is and perhaps will be imaginably pretty difficult.

Above all, what is the guarantee that, if the Nepali military succeeds in their given task that they would return to their former barracks? However, till to date Nepali military has a grand track record of not having broken their discipline even in rough weather conditions. They have ever remained apolitical and will perhaps predictably continue to exhibit their non-political nature as usual.

We all have perhaps forgotten the very hard fact that after the entrance of the military in the districts, the local government will automatically remain defunct. The military will perhaps have its say over all others in the matters of the local governance. Will not it then mean that we will have a different government at the center and the military ruling in the districts? Will it not tantamount to a sort of dual rule in the nation? Perhaps yes!

All said and done, the government is yet to spell out that she has already deployed the army for this purpose. It is yet uncertain that the military thus deployed in the districts would remain under the command of the local district officer as has been written by some section of the Nepali media. It is high time that the government clearly spells out its conclusion so that the people could understand the government’s inclination whether it is for a dialogue or for an all out war against the Maoists’.

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