Happy to know that Katuwal Uncle become acting COSA....
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Kantipur Report


KATHMANDU, Aug 11 - Lieutenant General Rukmangat Katuwal has been appointed acting Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) on Friday.

Katuwal is taking the reins of the Nepal Army starting as of today coinciding with the incumbent CoAS Pyar Jung Thapa's official month-long leave that will eventually culminate in his retirement on September 9, Defense Secretary Bishnu Datta Uprety said.

According to sources, outgoing COAS Thapa, who visited Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Friday morning, is set to hand over his responsibility to Katuwal today, amidst a function at the Army Headquarters.

By tradition, every Army Chief goes on an official leave a month before his term ends so that the new Army Chief is inducted a month ahead in order to get acclimated to the post and its responsibilities.

Katuwal, who is one of the generals interrogated by the High Level Probe Commission for his alleged role in atrocities during the April movement, was one of the two candidates vying for the coveted post. The other being Lieutenant General Balananda Sharma, who is currently serving with UN peacekeeping operations on the Golan Heights, Syria. Katuwal is senior to Sharma.
The source said that the tradition of choosing the seniormost lieutenant general as chief of the army would not be broken.

"If we break the seniority tradition, it is likely to invite controversy. But if the tradition is preserved, it will be good for the government," the source said of the government's choice of Katuwal.

Regarding the probe on Katuwal which is still on, the source said "If the commission finds Katuwal guilty, the government will take an appropriate decision then. But, interrogations alone do not provide grounds to point fingers at Katuwal".