The UCPN (Maoist) has kick-started the arms handover process from Thursday evening. The divisional commanders handed over the keys of containers with weapons to members of the Special Committee monitoring teams.

The key handover in three cantonments could not be materialised because of delayed notification to the commanders. The arms containers are stored across seven cantonments.

The hard-line faction of the party objected the decision to implement the party’s Wednesday decision to hand over the key to the SC. Soon after the handover of the keys started in the cantonments, Kiran Baidhya issued a statement denouncing the decision the process and said it was against the decision of the Standing Committee. He termed the handover process ‘suicidal’ for the party.

When the hardliners refuted implementation of the handover process on Thursday as agreed before the PM election, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal called a meeting of divisional commanders of the PLA and the PM at his office. The commanders agreed to carry out the process after Dahal’s assurance of dignified integration of the Maoist fighters.

After the first meeting of the Special Committee in capacity of the Prime Minister, Baburam Bhattarai had declared on Wednesday that the Maoists would hand over the keys to the SC.

The key handover marks a major step towards completing the peace process. NC had been demanding an actual transfer of control over weapons to the all-party committee to move the peace process. This is one of the 10 conditions of NC to accept the Maoists in government leadership. The Maoists will have to return the seized property and implement the past agreements fully to win the confidence of major opposition parties. However, the opposition have welcomed the Maoist move.