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Kathmandu [Nepal]May 14 (ANI): The Nepalese army has started procuring weapons from a Chinese company accused of supplying South Asian and African countries with cheap weapons, e-Pardafas reported.
The report added that the army will procure weapons from NORINCO without any bidding.
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The military has decided to purchase weapons worth about $6 billion. Once the formal agreement is signed, the procurement process begins. During Sher Bahadur Deuba’s tenure as former prime minister, progress was made in obtaining 26 armored personnel carriers, 72 tactical vehicles and ammunition from China. Defense Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka appeared unaware of the development and denied involvement in the decision-making process on social media.
Other countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Pakistan have previously experienced shortages of weapons and equipment purchased from China. For example, Bangladesh realized that tank engines it purchased from China in 2012-2013 were of substandard quality, e-Pardafas reported.
The F-22P purchased by the Pakistan Navy from China has also caused problems. Even Nepal has had its difficulties, with Nepal Airlines losing a lot because of problems with planes it bought from China.
Nepalese agent Lokendra Karki reportedly acted as a middleman to import weapons from China at higher than prevailing prices. Lokendra Karki is the brother of Nepali Congress leader and former minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki.
Some senior Nepal Army officers are suspected of possible mismanagement and dishonest weapons procurement in the context of the country’s unstable political climate and current transition period. Citing military sources, e-Pardafas said the Nepal Army is planning to buy armored personnel carriers (APCs) from China after being lured by generous commissions from the Chinese government.
The Nepalese army had previously purchased weapons from South Korea, but problems with the equipment led them to turn to China. Notably, the Chinese company was earlier represented in Nepal by Umesh Shrestha and Roshan Shrestha before Karki took over their positions.
NORINCO Nepal representative Umesh Shrestha reportedly lodged a complaint with the military headquarters in Bhadrakali, saying he was forced to resign. At the same time, Karki, who was involved in the Nepal Army’s previous purchase of weapons from South Korea, has been holding secret talks with senior officials such as Nepal Army Chief of Staff Prabram Sharma, Defense Minister Khadkar and representatives of Chinese arms companies. to e-Pardafas.
Sources cited by e-Pardafas indicate that Karki was actively involved in the procurement process and has been negotiating on behalf of the Nepal Army.
South Korean firm S&T Motive also tried to sell weapons to the Nepalese army, but was unsuccessful in getting military officials to agree to pay commissions of up to 50 percent in exchange for buying their weapons and arranging payments through third countries.
The Nepalese government has not yet decided whether to purchase any weapons. Communications and Information Technology Minister Reka Sharma told a regular news conference that the Council of Ministers has not been informed of any decision to buy firearms from China, nor has the Defense Ministry made any recommendations on it, e-Pardafas reported.
The purchase process has moved forward, with the Nepal Army starting the second phase after completing the payment process for the first phase, despite Prime Minister Prachanda’s interest in the matter.
According to sources, Army Chief Prabram Sharma will soon travel to China. In addition, Nepal’s Defense Minister Purna Bahadur Khadkar had a meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Nepal last week.
The Army chief of staff reportedly supports the open procurement process, but other officers are pressuring it to move forward, e-Pardafas reported.
The military intends to purchase more Chinese weapons in the future; this is only the first stage of the acquisition process. China appears to have made substantial progress in both military and economic cooperation with the Nepalese army.
Sources cited by e-Pardafas said that following the fast-track deal, a Nepalese army major general linked to former army chief Purnachandra Thapa bought properties in Dubai and Thailand. In addition, there are concerns about China’s growing influence in the Nepalese army, according to people familiar with the matter. According to sources, a letter has been sent to the Military Welfare Fund to pay for a recent contract with China North Industries Corporation.
The deal involves the purchase of 26 armored personnel carriers (APCs) at $538,000 each, 94 tactical vehicles at $250,000 each, and thousands of 12.7mm rounds. According to sources, a letter was sent to the Army Welfare Fund last week to arrange the contract amount with Chinese companies for the purchase of Chinese weapons.
According to e-Pardafas, the fund is believed to be exploring the possibility of arranging payments through Himalaya Bank or Rashtra Bank and is preparing to pay for the weapons this week. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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