Himal Press 
Former CoAS Purna Chandra Thapa (left) conferring the rank of Major General on Tara Dhwaj Pandey. (File Photo)
KATHMANDU: Nepal Army Major General Tarad Dhwaj Pandey has resigned amid a controversy surrounding his date of birth.
Major General Pandey submitted his resignation to Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Prabhu Ram Sharma. CoAS Sharma had initially recommended Pandey for promotion to Lieutenant General. Right after Pandey was recommended for the post, media reports claimed Pandey had allegedly manipulated government documents to alter his date of birth in order to extend his tenure with the army.
The army headquarters was under pressure to revisit the decision to promote Pandey.
Major General Pandey decided to step down after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) instructed the Ministry of Defence to launch an investigation into the disputes surrounding his date of birth. Complaints about the matter were also filed with the army headquarters as well as the parliamentary committee.
Pandey would have become the next army chief had he been promoted to Lieutenant General as recommended by CoAS Sharma.
Defense ministry sources said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Purna Bahadur Khadka was also not in favor of promoting Pandey before his age disputes were settled.
