Nepal has decided to withdraw from the US’ State Partnership Program (SPP).
A cabinet meeting held on Monday decided to inform the United States, through Nepali Army, that Nepal no longer wanted to be part of SPP, said Minister of Youth and Sports Maheshwar Jung Gahatraj.
The Nepali Army had written twice to the US Embassy, in Nepal in 2015 and 2017, requesting participation in the SPP. The US Embassy in Kathmandu earlier said that the Nepali Army’s request was accepted in 2019.
Initially, a letter was sent to the US embassy by the then army chief Rajendra Kshatriya to join the SPP on October 27, 2015 when the government was led by UML chairperson KP Sharma Oli.
It is said that a similar letter was written by the Nepal Army in April 2017 when UCPN (M) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was the Prime Minister and in January 2017 when Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Prime Minister. After the 10-point proposal on SPP was made public, the government was under pressure from all quarters not to sign the agreement.
The cabinet decision comes amid widespread protest against SPP, saying the program is part of US military strategy.
Following the decision, the formal process for withdrawing the SPP will now begin.
Earlier, both the ruling party and the opposition had been saying that the SPP could not be implemented.
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