Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal has said that over 7,000 weapons looted during the September Gen Z revolt have been recovered while 9,000 prisoners who escaped from jails around the country have returned.

Speaking at the National Assembly's Public Policy and Delegated Legislation Committee on Thursday, Aryal said that a nationwide “security operation” was launched in order to recover the weapons and bring back the prison escapees.

He also stated that joint efforts are underway to recover the weapons looted from various security agencies across the country on September 9.

Political parties are concerned that the weapons looted during the Gen Z protest and the absconding prisoners have become a major security threat for the March elections. They have asked the government to improve the overall security situation of the country for a successful conduct of the polls.

To recover the weapons and ammunition lost from the security forces in various parts of the country during the Gen Z-led protests, all agencies have been sharing information, formulating action plans, and implementing joint operations through the district security committees, the minister informed the committee.

"So far, 723 weapons have been recovered. Out of the 14,554 prisoners and detainees who escaped or fled prisons and detention centres during the Gen Z movement, 9,697 have been brought back."

Aryal added that a special operation has been launched to find the prisoners who have not yet returned. A special operation is underway to search for the remaining 4,857 fugitives.

Dedicated desks led by senior officers have been set up nationwide to bring the fugitives back into custody as recovering weapons and arresting the absconding inmates is a top government priority.

Aryal said there were suspicions that some of the weapons looted on September 9 might have been washed away in rivers.

It’s not possible to share how many weapons are still out right now, he said. During the meeting with the Assembly members, the minister said the government has devoted efforts to creating an election atmosphere. Some of the recovered weapons had got burnt and were no longer usable.

"The security protocol does not allow us to disclose which weapons were found and how many are still missing," Aryal said. There might be guns used for firing tear gas and a large quantity of gas canisters is still missing.

The weapons snatched from security personnel, and the fleeing prisoners would not disrupt the election environment, he assured them.

The government is committed to conducting the elections in a free and fair manner, Aryal said. "The government has not reached a conclusion that elections cannot be held because of the weapons and the prison escapees."

Out of the 595 individuals arrested for involvement in criminal activities during the Gen Z movement, cases have been filed against 283. Aryal also told the committee that the proposal to deploy the army for the March election had been approved.

As per the Cabinet’s recommendation, President Ramchandra Paudel on Thursday gave his nod to the army’s deployment for the elections. The decision comes three months prior to the elections where security agencies will conduct joint patrols across the country to create an environment for the elections.

Stating that resources have been secured to purchase equipment and vehicles necessary for the strengthening of security agencies, Aryal said the process to acquire 262 vehicles for Nepal Police, 109 vehicles for the Armed Police Force, and 6 vehicles for the National Investigation Department has been initiated.

On the issue of hostilities that could challenge law enforcement, the minister said dialogue is happening between the political parties and the Gen Z group to create an amicable atmosphere for the polls.

The Central Security Committee has met four times so far and made a total of 20 decisions including on an election security strategy. The government is said to be carrying forward its plan to recruit temporary (Myadi) police for the elections.