Prachanda also declared that no step was being taken to remove Chief of Army Staff General R Katawal for having defied a Government order to cease recruitment at the lower level of the army against normal vacancies. Prachanda made this announcement within hours of Gen Katawal’s meeting with Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal (who is also Central Committee member of the Maoist party) to explain that the ongoing regular appointments did not violate the comprehensive peace agreement.

The Prime Minister also renewed his promise to return all property that the Maoists had confiscated from individuals and the Government during the years of insurgency within the next three months. “I have already instructed the district administration to carry out the orders within the stipulated time frame,” he said.