KATHMANDU: The government has begun a rapid withdrawal of excess security personnel assigned to former Prime Ministers KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, among others.
According to a source at the Ministry of Home Affairs, around 150 Nepal Police personnel have already been withdrawn, with additional reports from provincial units still pending.
So far, about 150 Nepal Police personnel have been recalled. Withdrawals are also underway in the provinces, and we’re waiting for full reports.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, all personnel deployed beyond the approved norms will be withdrawn by Friday evening.
Of the 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel deployed for Prachanda’s security, 14 have been withdrawn, leaving 16 to remain under the command of a police chief. Similarly, 13 APF personnel deployed for KP Sharma Oli have also been recalled, with 16 retained under standard security protocol.
Nepal Police has also begun recalling additional personnel from other political leaders. Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, however, currently has fewer security personnel, as he has not requested many.
On Thursday, a meeting of the Central Security Committee ordered the immediate withdrawal of all security staff deployed in violation of official guidelines for both former and current officials.
Following the meeting, the Home Ministry instructed both Nepal Police and Armed Police Force to begin implementing the decision. According to those instructions, around 250 Nepal Police personnel are expected to be withdrawn in total.
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