Minister for Physical Planning and Construction Col. Narayan Singh Pun is a retired Colonel of the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) and a helicopter pilot ; he started a helicopter company after quitting the Army as the second in command of its Air Wing.
As an Army chopper pilot, he has flown to remote parts of the kingdom and knows the kingdom’s mountainous terrain well often plucking sick climbers stranded on Himalayan peaks to save them from certain death; his knowledge of the terrain will help Pun in negotiations with the rebels.
Col Pun joined politics by entering the Nepali Congress Party (NC) after resigning from the Army; he was elected from a constituency in west Nepal and resigned after a split in the party last year to form the Nepal Samata Party.
Col. Pun fell through with NC president Girija Prasad Koirala and his protégé whom he personally flew to remote districts during election campaigns in his personal helicopter.
King Gyanendra inducted Pun into the government of Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand in October last year after dismissing Sher Bahadur Deuba for failure to conduct announced polls in November after the dissolution of parliament. Maoists have not announced their negotiator.