In Nepal, the Special Committee for Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist Combatants has appointed retired Nepal Army Lt. General Balananda Sharma as the coordinator of the special secretariat. Talking to newsmen Information Minister and government spokesperson Shankar Pokhrel said the Special Committee in its meeting held in Kathmandu yesterday unanimously took the decision. He termed the decision as a positive development towards completing the peace process.The announcement comes more than two months after the secretariat was created in September that would expedite the process of bringing the Maoist army under the command and control of the government. The Special Committee, headed by the Prime Minister comprises nine representatives from six major political parties including the Unified CPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN(UML), Madhesh Janadhikar Forum – (Nepal), Madhesh Janadhikar Forum (Democratic), and the Terai Madhesh Loktantrik Party. AIR Kathmandu Correspondent reports that the decision of the Special Committee to appoint Balananda Sharma as its coordinator comes ahead of the proposed visit of a top UN official B. Lyn Pascoe to Nepal from Friday to take stock of Nepal's peace process before the exit of UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) in mid-January.