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Nepal abolishes Military Secretariat

Ameet Dhakal

KATHMANDU: Nepal's Government on Monday scrapped the Military Secretariat cutting the King's last links with the Army. The Cabinet also set up a Security Coordination Office (SCO) at the Defence Ministry to look after the palace security.

The King, who was the supreme commander, used the Secretariat as the key operational link.

The King had been stripped of the supreme commander title and other powers. The Government has now consolidated civilian control over the army, which has already expressed full allegiance to it. Criticism was growing lately over the delay in scrapping the Secretariat.

The Seven Party Alliance (SPA) Government also scrapped the Principle Military Secretariat (PMS), introducing significant changes to the royal palace security.

A Security Coordination Office (SCO) set up today under the Ministry of Defence will now look after the royal palace's security, the Cabinet decided.

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