KATHMANDU: The Army Headquarters has given a letter of retirement to Ishwar Hamal, the Chief of Staff of the Nepal Army.

The letter was handed over to him by the Army Headquarters 15 days before the end of the tenure of Lieutenant General Hamal, who is currently in the UNDOF Mission.

Lt. General Hamal is going on mandatory leave on October 11.

It is customary in the army to go on leave 15 days before retiring from the post of general. Hamal had joined the Nepal Army as a military cadet on November 8, 1983. After that, he served in various important departments of the army.

He is currently serving as the acting head of Mission and Force Commander at the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

Preparations are underway to issue a seven-day notice on Hamal’s place. According to military sources, the next board meeting will recommend the name of Saroj Pratap Rana for the promotion in the army.

His age and educational qualifications were previously disputed during his promotion. He was later promoted after the allegations were proved wrong.

He had been promoted during the tenure of the then Chief of Army Staff, Purnachandra Thapa.