Kathmandu, January 7
The KP Sharma Oli government is giving final touches to a bill that envisions the formation of a ‘secret service’ within the Nepali Army to operate in a manner similar to that of the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency and Pakistan’s Inter-services Intelligence.
According to sources, the new service will be allowed to carry out search operations of civilian property without a warrant and its expenditure will not be audited, according to the provisions of the bill.
Former Law Minister Upendra Yadav confirmed that the government was working on such a bill that would allow the new secret service sweeping powers without any scrutiny. The bill was drafted by the Ministry of Defence when Yadav was law minister. “We sent the defence ministry a list of 30 provisions in the bill that violate the provisions of the constitution,” said Yadav.
The new bill, currently under the wraps, comes at a time when the Oli government has been criticised for tabling controversial bills such as the IT bill and the Media Council bill that stifle freedom of expression. The government has already proposed the formation of another secret service that would have powers to wiretap telephone conversations between the members of the general public without having to take permission from a court.
