Rookmangud Katawal

Rookmangud Katawal was born in Okhaldhunga District, Nepal on 12 December 1948, to Mr. Khadgadhoj Katawal and his wife.

After impressing the then King Mahendra by reciting a poem of the National Poet Madhav Prasad Ghimire during the monarch's official visit, Katawal was brought to Kathmandu at the age of 8 years and looked after by King Mahendra himself.

After residing at the then COAS General Toran Shumsher's residence for about 15 days along with King Mahendra's other 'adopted sons', at the age of 10 years, he was enrolled at the Pharping Boarding School.

After completing 5th grade, he was directly transferred to 7th grade due to his impressive academic endeavor.

However, Katwal along with several other students were kicked out of the Pharping Boarding High School for involvement in a protest against the 'Corporal Punishment' which was given out by the school's authorities to the students then.

Later, Katawal was enrolled in another school with the help of the same teacher who had expelled Katwal from Pharping in which he completed his high school.

Katwal was commissioned into Shree Shreenath Battalion (Infantry) of the then Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) on 20 December 1969, after graduating from the Indian National Defense Academy.

Katawal holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tribhuwan University, and a master's degree in National Defence from the Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan.

Katawal is also the Distinguished International Honour Graduate of the US Special Forces Course and has earned the coveted Gideon in the US Ranger Course.

He is also a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College, Camberley, UK; the Senior Command Course, India; and the National Defense College, Pakistan.

In 1973, he served as an instructor at the Royal Nepalese Army School.

In the same year, he donned the blue beret to serve in the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in the Suez Canal area.

Between 1976 and 1977, Katawal commanded the Independent Company- Shree Kalidhoj- which is currently a battalion.

Between 1983 and 1986, he served as the Nepalese Government's Liaison Officer to the Brigade of Gurkhas of the British Army and Government of Hong Kong following several key staff appointments.

In 1988, he was appointed the Chief Military Personnel Officer of the United Nation Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

In 1990, he took over command of Shree Pashupati Prashad Battalion.

In 1993, he took post as the commandant of the Royal Nepalese Military Academy, following Service in the Research and Development Wing at the Army HQ.

In 1996, he was promoted to Brigadier General.

He holds the distinction of having commanded three consecutive Brigades, two infantry and one Special Forces.

In 1999, he was appointed as director of military intelligence.

In 2001, he was promoted to major general.

He then took over as Adjutant General (AG) of the Nepalese Army.

On December 29, 2001, General Katawal was appointed the first co-coordinator of the National Security Council Secretariat.

He has participated in various conferences and seminars around the globe concerning security, peacekeeping and planning fields, such as Multilateral Planner's conference in Romania and the International Symposium Course on Asian Pacific Security in China.

He commanded the then Western Division on combat operation in the peak of the counter insurgency effort between December 2003 and August 2004.

In a telephone conversation with the then Ambassador Michael E. Malinowski in 2003, Major General Rookmangud Katawal, reported that the Cabinet was planning how to respond to the morning incidents.

Katwal indicated that, with the King's support, the government would likely re-declare the Maoists a terrorist group, resurrect the suspended anti-terrorist act, and request Interpol blue-corner notices for Maoist leaders.

Katwal also said, although the ministers had discussed the possibility of nationwide state of emergency, they were not likely to declare it.

Katawal sought support from the international community for the government's efforts to combat the insurgency.

The Ambassador counseled against the declaration of a state of emergency at the time.

In 2003, Major General Rookmangud Katawal, Nepal's National Security Advisor, had told the then Ambassador Michael E. Malinowski that the Maoist leadership twice had contacted DFID's Wood to ask for details of DFID's ongoing and future programs and plans in Nepal.

On both occasions Wood refused to comply with the Maoist request.

Katawal did not provide the source of his information.

Major General Rookmangud Katawal had been appointed as the commander to lead the Unified Armed Forces of Nepal during Mission Kotwada by tricking the then Chief of Army Staff Pyar Jung Thapa and the then King of Nepal Gyanendra Shah.

The mission was very important, as it had to ensure the successful tour of the King Gyanendra Shah.

Being accompanied by another senior army officer and several other military and police personnel, he ordered mortars to be fired consecutively to scare the Maoist rebels into retreating and ceasing fire which failed.

He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on 10 September 2004, and took over as Chief of General Staff.

He is also ‘Colonel Commandant’ of his old battalion: Shree Pashupati Prashad.

General Rookmangud Katawal is a former Nepalese Army general, who served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Nepal Army from 2006 to 2009.

General Katawal has come across controversy after the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal unilaterally decided to sack Katawal on May 3, 2009.