KATHMANDU: The process of integration and rehabilitation of the UCPN-Maoist combatants, which is a key component of the peace process, has come to a grinding halt.

Despite Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s assurance that he would hold a meeting of the Special Committee on the supervision, integration and rehabilitation of PLA combatants on a weekly basis, no such meeting has been held for a month. The Special Committee has not taken any concrete decision or made any progress since the CPN-UML-led government was formed. The SC did hold some meetings but output is almost nil.

Though the Technical Committee, which was formed to assist the Special Committee, did make some progress, its functioning has suffered immensely due to the SC’s defunct status.

The three-month mandate of the TC expired on November 30 but the SC has not bothered to extend its term. The members of the TC are in dark on what steps the Special Committee would take regarding the extension of its term. Till now, TC has accomplished two tasks: visiting the cantonments and consulting different stakeholders like top officials of the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and other experts about the possible modalities of integration and rehabilitation of PLA fighters. The TC could not start the second phase of its task, as the Special Committee failed to approve the code of conduct for PLA drafted by TC three months ago.

The Maoist representative had taken a stand that top leaders of the parties should discuss the code of conduct and the overall process of integration. The Maoist leaders want that top leaders should make general guidelines or agreement about the integration of Maoist combatants. However, the top leaders are yet to take up the agenda. All this means that the United Nations Security Council does not have any alternative but to extend the UNMIN’s term that will expire in January. Despite repeated calls of the international community to accomplish the task of integration before January 23, no progress has been made towards that end and the same seems unlikely.

UNMIN cannot leave till the

PLA is integrated or rehabilitated,

as it has been monitoring the

Maoist cantonments and weapons. Of late, UNMIN has drawn some flak from the ruling parties, who have accused it of being biased.

The government had accused the UN of interfering in the internal matters of Nepal by issuing an appeal for the national unity government.

The countries funding UN have expressed concern about keeping UNMIN, as it is costly. EU members have been lobbying against extending the UNMIN’s term. However, they too do not have any other option but to extend UNMIN’s term.

According to a member of the Technical Committee, it will

take more than six months to accomplish the integration of Maoist combatants from the day work begins

to that end in earnest. UNMIN

was established in response to the letters sent to UN Secretary

General on August 9, 2006, in which the then seven-party alliance government and the erstwhile Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) had sought the United Nations’ assistance in creating a free and fair atmosphere for the Constituent Assembly election and the peace process.

UNMIN established its office in Kathmandu on 23 January 2007 in accordance with the United Nations’ Security Council Resolution 1740. At the request of the Government of Nepal, the Security Council unanimously extended UNMIN’s mandate for six months on 23 January 2008, on 23 July 2008, on 23 January 2009 and fourth time on 23 July, 2009. The fifth extension is inevitable.