Activist Alleges Government Weakened Nepali Army

Kathmandu. Gen Z activist Miraj Dhungana has accused the government of weakening the Nepali Army. Speaking at a program in Kathmandu on Thursday, he alleged that the government was making the army cheap. He said that the public's trust in the army would be lost if the army was used to control small incidents. He stated that if the army is repeatedly mobilized in small internal incidents, it could have a long-term impact on national security. He said that both the police firing in Captaganj recently and the government deploying the army to control the resulting situation were wrong. He accused the government, formed from the Gen Z movement, of firing on unarmed youth. He said that the police should use non-lethal equipment instead of lethal weapons to control conflict. Mentioning that most of the deceased in the communal violence in Captaganj were youth and Gen-Z age group, he said that although the circumstances of the Gen-Z movement and the recent incident were different, youth lost their lives in both and the state fired bullets. He stressed that the current Prime Minister and Home Minister should take responsibility for the Captaganj incident. He mentioned that even in the large CJP movement in India, the police did not fire, but in Nepal, firing occurs in small skirmishes, which is worrying. He mentioned that Nepal is a multi-ethnic and socially sensitive country, so a mature policy is needed for conflict management. He said, 'If the government that came from such a big movement has not learned, I want to urge it to learn. When controlling future conflicts, the police should not be sent with SLRs, nor should the army be cheaply brought out of the barracks.' Pointing out the risks of the army's reputation declining, he added, 'The army has been made so cheap that if the army comes out for even the smallest incident, its dominance, which has been maintained to this day, will not remain tomorrow.' Regarding the situation after losing public trust, he said, 'The day the Nepali people lose faith in the army and those who create conflict are no longer afraid of the army, we can imagine what kind of massacre will happen.' Commenting on the lack of long-term thinking, he added, 'If there was a government or state with a little long-term thinking, the army would not have been brought out of the barracks in such a cheap, light, and flimsy manner. If the army is made cheap in this way, many lives will be lost in any future conflict.' He urged the government to advance security strategy by prioritizing nationality, geographical integrity, and public security. He also demanded that the government stop adulteration of petroleum products and reduce prices. Mentioning that anti-China activities are happening in Nepal, he also questioned the government's foreign policy.