Madhyapur Thimi, Feb 22:

Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Hisila Yami said today a civil war might result if the issue of army integration was not properly managed.

Inaugurating the 44th foundation day of Adarsha Secondary School here today, she said, “Even a good statute won’t be able to solve the problems plaguing the country if the state failed to act seriously on the army merger issue.”

She urged all the political parties to come up with a common stance on army integration. “The Nepal Army and PLA should be merged to form a national army. The army structure should be changed as per the recent developments throughout the world,” she added.

Referring to neighbours’ interference in the country, Yami said foreign interferences would gradually decrease if we maintained unity among ourselves.

Commenting on the Education Service Tax (EST) on private schools, she said it was justifiable, as private schools’ main objective was to make profit. “The government will strictly implement the EST on private schools,” she added.