Starting its journey from Gorkha, a tiny Himalayan Kingdom, Nepal Army has been part of all political upheavals, negotiating its way forward through chaos and uncertainty, over the last 250 years. With its international exposure through UN peacekeeping missions and interactions with other armies, Nepal Army has transformed itself from a small traditional army to a modern professional military institution.

Along with defending the national border and boosting Nepal’s international image by way of its role in peacekeeping, NA has been serving the people in times of disaster, guarding prime minister and ministers, national monuments and infrastructures, preserving national parks, carrying out construction activities and providing quality health and education to the common people. As the current political situation is uncertain, with a prolonging deadlock, NA, which is defending the people, has found itself in a situation where it is left alone without any institution to defend its role in the democratic republic. As in the past, steps taken by the present republican governments, knowingly or unknowingly, have shaken the stability factor of Nepal Army. However, Nepal Army will overcome the present crisis as well as it did during all the previous upheavals as a stable and resilient institution.

Groomed in radicalized ideologies and thoughts, the present sets of politicians in power have little sensitivity and respect towards the core values and ethos of the country. As NA celebrates its founding day, there are multiple and complex challenges before the institution. Given the present circumstances, we have decided to cover Nepal Army’s painful path of transformation from a traditional to modern institution dedicated to protect Nepal’s independence and sovereignty as the cover story. As banking sector is facing a financial crisis, we have interviewed Ashoke SJB Rana, chief executive officer of Himalayan Bank. Similarly, there are also the routine news stories and regular columns.