Nepal tells India to stop recruiting Gurkhas as soldiers if it’s only for 4 years
- Tens of thousands of Nepali Gurkhas serve in the Indian army under an agreement made between London, New Delhi and Kathmandu in 1947
- They have historically served for much longer than the 4 years specified under the ‘path of fire’ recruitment policy that India unveiled in June
An agreement between London, New Delhi and Kathmandu after India’s independence from colonial rule in 1947 allowed India and Britain to continue to recruit Gurkhas, who have served in the British army since 1815 under a deal struck with the British East India Company.
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In June, India unveiled a recruitment policy called Agnipath, or “path of fire”, aimed at enlisting young men into the military on short four-year contracts to lower the average age of its 1.38 million-strong armed forces.
Gurkha soldiers have historically served for much longer terms in both the Indian and British armies.
Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s foreign affairs adviser, Arun Subedi, said on Monday that the recruitment of Gurkhas would be “withheld for the time being” as political parties in Nepal discussed the future of the Gurkhas after their retirement.
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“Nepal wants to be clear whether the Agnipath scheme will apply for the recruitment of Nepali nationals … and about their fate after retirement at the end of four years of service,” Subedi said.
Last week, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said India had been recruiting Gurkha soldiers to the Indian army for a long time and looked forward to continuing to recruit them under the new scheme.
