Last week the new king gave permission for the G-36 gun to be imported for the army. The weapon has been at the centre of controversy and His Late Majesty Birendra had not appeared to be in its favour. In the first stage 5,000 guns will be imported. The total cost will be about Rs 380 million. A single gun costs $800. There are other cheaper and more efficient weapons on the market, but the G-36 is still being given preference. This has raised a lot of questions and controversy is now synonymous with the G-36. The army's Commander in Chief, Prajwalla Rana, recently returned from a trip abroad, reportedly for the gun deal. Many feel the British-German G-36 is not the right weapon for this country. A section of the army is also rumoured to be unhappy about this decision.