UNMIN has also been concerned about the promotion of a senior army officer.

'Recruiting or buying weapons or upgradation of any kind by either the Nepal Army or the Maoists without the issue being discussed by the high-level monitoring committee is a violation of the pact,' Viswokarma said.

'The possible resumption of Indian military assistance has not been discussed in the monitoring committee.'

The Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee comprises representatives from the army, Maoists and UNMIN.

The Maoists have already registered their anger with their chief and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda warning the new government of Nepal that any fresh arms deal with India would derail the peace process.

India had been providing the Nepal Army with its indigenously manufactured Insas firearms at a 70 percent subsidy to fight the growing Maoist insurgency.

However, it suspended the assistance in February 2005 to show its disapproval over King Gyanendra's decision to stage an army-backed coup and seize absolute power.

Military experts in Nepal are saying that if India wants to help Nepal, then instead of handing out weapons it should provide medicines to fight the raging diarrhoea epidemic in western Nepal that has killed almost 200 people.