KATHMANDU, March 5: One of the commanders of the Maoist´s People´s 
Liberation Army (PLA), Kali Bahadur Kham, said the PLA won’t start recruiting fresh candidates until the political parties come up with a decision over the recent army recruitment row.
“We don´t want our recruitment drive violate the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA)," the commander of the Maoist army´s third divisional headquarters in Chitwan told myrepublica.com from Chitwan cantonment site over phone, Thursday. "We will wait for a decision through political level.” He said the commanders in all other six cantonments are also waiting for a decision from political parties regarding the issue.[break]
“We have heard that political parties are engaged in discussion to settle the army row soon and we will wait for their decision,” said Kham, who is the prime accused in the Ram Hari Shrestha murder case. Wanted by the police, Kham doesn´t appear in the public.
Maoist Center leader Kali Bahadur Kham arrested
The Army Integration Special Committee (AISC), the committee to deal with the issues related to both the Nepal Army and the PLA, is scheduled to hold its meeting soon. “Although the meeting was scheduled for today, it could not be held due to some technical reasons,” said Nepali Congress leader Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, who is a member of the committee.
He said Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has assured him that he will call its meeting in next two days. “We have asked the prime minister to call a meeting of the AISC as soon as possible. He has assured us that the issue of recruitment announcement in PLA will be settled in next two days,” said Dr Mahat.
Prime Minister is the chairman of the committee, which is comprised with representatives of major ruling parties—Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF)—and the main opposition party, Nepali Congress.
Kali Bahadur KhamBikash Karki/MyRepublica.com
PLA commander Nanda Kishor Pun had announced on Tuesday that the PLA would recruit at least 12,713 youths in its ranks to reach its original strength of 31,315. The current size of the PLA, following a verification of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN), is 19,602.
PLA divisional commander Kham said all the cantonments are receiving forms for new recruitment. “But they won’t start formal recruitment process before political parties come up with a decision,” he said, however, adding that the political parties should come up with "a judicious decision" over recruitment of armies in both the NA and the PLA. Asked what he means by "judicious decision", he said it will be the best solution if the NA stops its recruitment process.
“If Nepal Army continues with its recruitment drive, it will seriously violate the peace process,” he said.
The Shaktikhor cantonment has received more than 2,000 applications. “We have opened recruitment forms for some 2,500 posts,” he said.