Maryland: Rastriya Swatantra Party leader Dr Pranay Rana participated as a guest speaker to the interaction on “Rebel-Military Integration and Transitional Justice in the Ongoing Nepali Peace Process” at Salisbury University (SU) in the United States. The university’s Fall Lecture Series was hosted by the Bosserman Center for Conflict Resolution.
Rana, a former Nepal Army official and practitioner of conflict resolution, discussed the implementation of the post-conflict peace agreement as it related to the integration process of the Maoist rebels into the Nepali Army.
During the interaction, he highlighted some of the functional elements of the rebel-military integration program using the theoretical framework of human needs, reconciliation, and peacebuilding.
Self-determination for integration, the fulfillment of Nepali Army’s recruitment of criteria, the flexibility adopted in the criteria, and Bridge Course were some of the key components highlighted in his lecture.
He argued that Nepal’s framework was exemplary and many of its components could be utilized in future rebel-military integration efforts. He further argued Nepal to be a leader in this aspect of the peacebuilding effort since a successful implementation of the rebel-military integration program was very rare in the world.
Visiting professors, faculties, scholars, practitioners, and students of conflict resolution and peace participated in the event. Over the years, the Center has hosted over a dozen Nobel Laureates as guest speakers some of whom include heads of the states as well.
Rana expressed that he was humbled by this experience where he was able to represent Nepal’s work amongst the best of the peace scholars from the world. Dr Brian Polkinghorn, the Executive Director of the Center, provided his concluding remarks and thanked all the participants.
Dr Polkinghorn, who was also an international UN consultant on Nepal’s peace process said, “Dr Pranay Rana is not just a top flight scholar but an up and coming political figure in his home country. His timely research on the reintegration of former combatants into the Nepali armed forces has provided other countries with vital insight in effectively managing the process.”
Rana was a candidate for the House of Representatives from Kathmandu-5 in the 2022 general election in Nepal.
During his visits, public concerns regarding NRN rights and dual citizenship needs were gathered. Rana hopes to educate and aware the Nepali lawmakers and the leaders about the current sentiments of Nepalese abroad through the outcomes of such interactions.
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