Kathmandu, March 22

The meeting of the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) Thursday decided to collect opinions of the PLA members opting for integration whether they had any choice for retirement or rehabilitation.

The decision aims at narrowing down the number of PLA members opting for integration as it had exceeded the 6,500 agreed upon number. During the regrouping process carried out two months ago, 9705 PLA members had opted for integration.

The meeting bestowed responsibility on its Secretariat to prepare a report within five days on the procedure, methods and standards of army integration within five days.

It concluded that army integration would get momentum after the report of technical aspect for integration.

The report will be prepared by involving members of the AISC, the NA and the PLA.

"As per the 7-point

agreement, only 6,500 are supposed to be integrated. But there are 9,705 combatants who have opted for integration, now they will be given a chance to choose between the two packages again." Chief Secretary and spokesperson for the AISC Madhav Ghimire informed the reporters after the meeting at the AISC office in New Baneshwor.

A member of the AISC and Maoist leader Barsaman Pun, who is also Finance Minister, said that the meeting decided to move forward army integration process in consultation with the NA, the PLA commanders and the AISC members.

He said that the meeting also discussed the NA’s recent proposal on army integration.

Speaking with The Rising Nepal, coordinator of the Secretariat Balananda Sharma, said that the meeting decided to move ahead the integration process ahead as per the 7-point pact and existing standards of the NA.