Jun 16, Kathmandu:  An emergency meeting is currently being held at the Nepal Army headquarters regarding the veracity of the letter sent to participate in the US State Partnership Program (SPP).

A meeting has been held at the army headquarters after many questions were raised about the authenticity of the letter sent by the Nepal Army. Assistant Rathi Narayan Silwal, who is also the spokesperson of the Nepal Army, according to a source that work is underway to understand the authenticity of the letter sent by the army. The letter does not match any of the logos used by the army. Earlier, the Nepal Army had denied any involvement in the SPP, claiming that there was no such activity.

A letter has been made public on Thursday saying that the Nepal Army has requested to join the SPP. A letter addressed to the then US Ambassador Alaina Tepliz on October 27, 2015, was signed by the then Chief of Army Staff Rajendra Chhetri. There is no army on the letter pad.

The issue of SPP came to the fore only recently after the US Army Pacific Commander returned from a visit to Nepal. The letter, which is said to have been written by the then Chief of Army Staff, has two handwritten letters in the letter number description and date details. But in other places, there are letters typed on the computer.

Generally, it is customary for the Army Secretary to sign the letter, not the Chief of Army Staff. Military sources claim that the letter was brought out as planned and that its authenticity was in question. The army had said on Wednesday that there was no agreement to go to the SPP. The letter was then leaked, which raises questions about its authenticity.