Amidst brewing differences between the two security agencies, the Armed Police Force (APF) on Sunday suggested that their hierarchical status should be higher than that of Nepal Police.
Amidst brewing differences between the two security agencies, the Armed Police Force (APF) on Sunday suggested that their hierarchical status should be higher than that of Nepal Police.
In its suggestion to leaders of four major parties, the APF stated that in international practice the paramilitary force remains second after Nepal Army. “We strongly urged the leaders to provide us with similar status,” said APF spokesperson Deputy Inspector General Pushpa Ram KC, who was present in the meetings.
APF chief Inspector General of Police Kosh Raj Onta and other senior officials had met CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli, UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal Chairman Bijay Kumar Gachhadar. The team had also met Constituent Assembly (CA) Chairman Subash Chandra Nembang and Chairman of CA’s Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (PDCC) Baburam Bhattarai.
The team had also strongly objected recent suggestions by Nepal Police to omit the word ‘police’ from APF. The officials had argued that the APF, in the last 14 years, is a well known security agency in and outside the country and renaming it would not be suitable. “We suggested the leaders that there is no point in going after the name,” said KC.
Nepal Police had last week suggested the Committee on Citizen Relations and Public Opinion Collection to change the word ‘police’ from APF and instead call it a paramilitary force or some other name. The Nepal Police had argued that the duplication of word ‘police’ has questioned the duty and functioning of these two security agencies.
Similarly, APF officials also asked leaders to clearly demark the their authority and other security agencies’ in the new constitution. “We function according to our act and regulations. Either the new constitution should clearly define our roles and responsibilities or the state should allow us to function as it is,” said KC.
The suggestion on the name and provision by APF comes in the wake of strong suggestions made by the Nepal Police. While there has been an apparent difference between the two security agencies following the endorsement of the new
regulation for APF, both the sides have been wholeheartedly lobbying to maintain their prominence. The new regulation of the APF provides this paramilitary force with an authority to issue arrest warrant and make arrests accordingly, the task that entirely was the task of Nepal Police.
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