KATHMANDU: Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Ashok Raj Sigdel met Prime Minister Balendra Shah (Balen) at Singha Durbar on Friday, although officials did not reveal the purpose of the meeting.
Sigdel reached the Prime Minister’s Office earlier in the day. A source there confirmed that discussions were underway between the prime minister and the army chief, but said the subject of the talks had not been made public. The army also noted that meetings between Prime Minister Shah, who is also in charge of the Ministry of Defence, and the army chief are routine.
Shah and Sigdel had previously met on August 4. During that discussion, they were reported to have talked about the use of a dozer on Nepal Trust land in Gokarna that is under army protection. The matter was linked to activities involving Raju Pandey, a lawmaker from the prime minister’s party.
Sources at the Prime Minister’s Office said the army chief had expressed dissatisfaction over the issue during the earlier meeting. Afterward, Pandey issued a statement clarifying his stance on the controversy.
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