Explained: Why Nepal has put on hold Gorkhas recruitment under India’s Agnipath scheme 

What was the Tripartite Agreement between India, Nepal and UK?

Soon after Indian Independence on August 15, 1947, an agreement was reached by the governments of India, Nepal and the UK regarding the future of the Gorkha soldiers who were serving in the Indian Army. As per the terms of this agreement four regiments of Gorkha soldiers – 2^nd, 6^th, 7^th and 10^th – were transferred to the British Army while the rest – 1^st, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 8^th and 9^th – remained with the Indian Army. A new Gorkha Regiment, the 11^th Gorkha Rifles, was raised by India soon after Independence. The agreement also provides for the terms and conditions of the Nepal-domiciled Gorkha soldiers in the Indian Army and for their post-retirement benefits and pensions.

An interesting historical aspect of Gorkha troops is that Pakistan, at the time of Independence, and China, soon after the 1962 war, had also requested Nepal for Gorkha soldiers in their respective armies, a request which was turned down by the Nepal government.

The largest body of Gorkha troops serves in the Indian Army while in the UK their presence has been reduced from four regiments to just two – 1 Royal Gurkha Rifles and 2 Royal Gurkha Rifles (British Army uses the term ‘Gurkha’ while the Indian Army uses ‘Gorkha’).

Can Nepalese Gorkhas in foreign Armies be called mercenaries?

Mercenaries are understood as fighters who take part in a conflict for financial gain and usually are not parties to that conflict. As per the definition of the 1949 Geneva Convention, which gives the officially agreed definition of a mercenary, soldiers serving in sovereign armies are not considered mercenaries, and Gorkha soldiers cannot be called mercenaries. In addition, Gorkha soldiers from Nepal serve side-by-side with Gorkha soldiers who are born and brought up in India.

Have any changes been made in Gorkha unit recruitments over the years?

There have been attempts to reduce the dependence on Nepal for the Gorkha soldiers in the Indian Army, and to this effect, the composition has increasingly been attempted to be balanced between Indian and Nepal-domiciled troops. Also, a pure Indian Gorkha battalion was raised in 2016.

This unit, 6^th Battalion of the 1st Gorkha Rifles (6/1 GR), was raised in Subathu, in Himachal Pradesh. Otherwise, the ratio of Nepalese-domiciled soldiers and Indian-domiciled soldiers in a Gorkha battalion ranges from 60:40 to 70:30, though this will change further in future. A change was made in the recruitment rules for Gorkha Rifles recently when the Army decided that soldiers hailing from the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand will also be eligible for serving in Gorkha Rifles.

What is the socio-economic impact on Nepal of Gorkha soldiers serving in the Indian Army?

A major economic and social impact is felt in Nepal due to the Nepal-domiciled Gorkha soldiers serving in the Indian Army and much of it has to do with the remittances that they send home. A research paper titled ‘The Gurkha Recruitment, Remittances and Development’ written by Dr Ratna Mani Nepal, Lecturer at Central Department of Rural Development Studies, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu states that Nepal receives a sustainable source of remittances from Gorkhas working in foreign armies.

The research paper notes that these remittances have “significantly contributed to social modernization in the isolated villages, while the financial remittances spurred entrepreneurship development thereby contributing to regional development”. Another aspect is the presence of ex-servicemen of the Indian Army in Nepal. Senior retired Gorkha Rifles Generals have pointed out that retired personnel form an important link of goodwill between India and Nepal, especially in the far-flung areas in which they live.