The caretaker government in Nepal and opposition Maoists are on a collision course over the role of United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), which is monitoring the country’s peace process.
While the government wants it to change its current mandate and monitor only the Maoist combatants
and their arms, the Maoists want it to continue monitoring the Nepal Army as well.
There is another difference. The government wants UNMIN’s tenure, which expires on September 15, to be extended by four months while the Maoists want the UNMIN to remain for six months or till the peace process is complete.
A day after the government sent a letter to United Nations Security Council seeking an extension for UNMIN, the Maoists on Thursday shot a separate letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
In his letter Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal asked the SC not to change UNMIN’s mandate and extend its tenure by six months.