Agnipath in Nepal: Retired Gurkha Soldiers Seek to Engage Prime Minister on Indian Army Recruitment
Photo credit: RSS
Following the visit of Indian Army Chief Dhiraj Seth to Nepal, retired Gurkha soldiers have sought to meet Prime Minister Walendra Shah ‘Balen’ to draw attention to the reopening of recruitment in the Indian Army for Nepali soldiers, employing various contacts to achieve this.
India’s unilateral implementation of the Agnipath policy, which recruits soldiers for a fixed four-year service term before discharging 75% of them with financial compensation, has led to a halt in Gurkha recruitment from Nepal.
During his recent visit to Nepal to receive an honorary rank of Maharhi from the Nepali Army, the Indian Army Chief attended an event with former Gurkha soldiers in Pokhara, where some retirees raised the issue of Agnipath. Although he praised the Gurkhas, he did not provide a definitive response.
Though there was a meeting with Prime Minister Shah, formal discussions have not yet progressed to address the stalled recruitment.
Retired Gurkha soldiers who began protesting from Lamjung last month demanding the Indian Army resume recruitment under Agnipath demonstrated in Pokhara ahead of Seth’s visit.
Launched in 2022, the Agnipath scheme aims to create a younger, skilled, and technologically proficient force capable of meeting future combat challenges.
Comments from Retired Gurkha Soldiers
Photo credit: Krishna Mani Baral
A leader of the retired Gurkha soldiers noted that Indian Army Chief Seth did not comment on Gurkha recruitment in Pokhara, prompting them to focus on bringing their demands directly to Nepal’s top political leadership.
Khemjyang Gurung, retired Subedar Major and advisor to the Lamjung Indian Veterans’ Development Committee, said, “Our efforts will now focus on applying pressure. We want to clearly explain our concerns to the Prime Minister before he visits India. We aim to meet as many times as possible and present our case with a delegation when we travel to India to make this a formal request.”
Prime Minister Shah received an invitation to visit New Delhi last Chaitra (around March), shortly after taking office, though a date is yet to be finalized. Meanwhile, Gurkha representatives are using various channels to establish contact with senior members of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and government officials.
“We are aligning channels with Rastriya Swatantra Party members of parliament. Even if it takes a week, fifteen days, or a month, we hope they can arrange the time. We will come and strive to make our case understood.”
The British East India Company started recruiting Gurkhas into its army in 1815, a tradition which has continued since the 1947 tripartite agreement between Nepal, Britain, and India.
At the time of Indian independence, six Gurkha regiments became part of the Indian Army while four units were transferred to the British Army.
Nepal has been in dialogue with Britain regarding pension parity for Nepalese Gurkhas who retired before 1997 and serve in Britain.
There have been no formal talks between Nepal and India over the recruitment deadlock following the implementation of Agnipath.
India has argued that although recruitment and retirement packages have changed under Agnipath, the benefits for Nepalese and Indian citizens remain consistent, asserting that this complies with the spirit of the tripartite agreement.
Engagement with Parliamentarians
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Retired Indian Army Subedar Kulbahadur KC disclosed that he has contacted more than fifty parliamentarians to advocate for Nepali recruitment under Agnipath.
He emphasized, “This is a crucial issue for employment, remittances, and Nepal-India friendship. From a nationalist perspective, as a Gurkha soldier, I consider this even more important. Yet it seems local leaders and administrative officials prefer not to discuss this.”
KC claimed India’s policy to provide employment to youth and deploy them in various sectors post-service has become a subject of anti-India politics in Nepal.
He argued that it is preferable for Nepali youth to be recruited into the Indian Army rather than lose employment opportunities.
Officials from Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have yet to respond to this matter.
On the occasion of the new government’s 100 days, Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal stated that Nepal remains committed to the existing agreements but is willing to review them if necessary.
Former Ambassador’s Perspective
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Nilambar Acharya, former Indian ambassador to Nepal, stressed that Nepal should seek greater clarity on the Agnipath policy and that the time has come to review the old agreements.
He stated, “Our old agreement is a type of arrangement but we have had no consultation regarding Agnipath. Since our citizens are recruited under this scheme, our approval might be needed for changes to the original agreement.”
Given the age of the tripartite agreement between Nepal, India, and the UK on Gurkha recruitment, a review is necessary to determine the appropriate course of action under current circumstances.
He highlighted that Nepalis serving in the Indian and British armies are integral members rather than contract soldiers and should therefore receive appropriate respect and benefits.
However, he cautioned that Nepal’s policy of neutrality and non-alignment should also be considered carefully in this context.
He also emphasized the need to address various demands concerning pensions and benefits for families of personnel serving in the army during a broad review.
According to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, there are approximately 122,000 retired Nepali Gurkha soldiers receiving pensions in Nepal.
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