Miscellaneous
Gurkha forum raises equal rights pitch
Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen’s Organisation (GAESO) on Thursday urged Nepali and British governments to address its demands by forming a panel immediately.Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen’s Organisation (GAESO) on Thursday urged Nepali and British governments to address its demands by forming a panel immediately.
At a press conference held in Kathmandu on Thursday, the group urged both the governments to sort out the servicemen’s long-standing demands such as pension.
At the press conference, GAESO Chairman Krishna Kumar Rai slammed both governments for failing to address their demands as well as setting up a tripartite talk panel comprising both the governments and the GAESO.
Earlier this year, the group had submitted its demands in a report to Nepal’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Durga Bahadur Subedi. The report highlighted the British government’s omissions in providing equal pay and pension to serving and retired Gurkhas. The report urged providing equal pay, benefits, medical and other facilities to servicemen killed or injured in war and their widows.
On March 20, 2017, the British government had agreed to form a panel to study the demands of retired Gurkha army personnel such as pension. The panel submitted its report to the governments of Nepal and Britain on March 22, 2018.
“The report says there is discrimination against Gurkha soldiers in the British Army. Furthermore, the report states that Gurkhas soldiers, either serving in British Army or retired from the force, are facing unequal pay, pension facilities and perks,” Rai said.
After receiving the report, British Minister of State for the Armed Forces Colonel John Mark Lancaster, had said a talks team would be formed within a month.
More than six months have gone by, but there is no progress on forming a talk team by both sides, Rai said. He stressed the Government of Nepal should take diplomatic initiative to exert moral pressure on Britain.
Minister Lancaster had visited Nepal this February and assured that British government was committed to resolving the grievances of ex-Gurkha servicemen.
Prime Minister K P Oli to raised the issue of discriminatory pay and pensions of serving and ex-Gurkha soldiers with British Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.
GAESO has launched one-month campaign to address its demands and formed an 18-member Gurkha Movement Parliamentary Committee led by parliamentarian Yogesh Bhattarai.
GAESO plans to submit a memorandum to prime ministers of Nepal and the UK to put pressure on both governments to fulfill their demands.
If British government fails to form a dialogue team, Nepal government should unilaterally form the talk team, said Rai.
The group plans to meet top leaders of major political parties, lawmakers and members of international relations panels and human rights committee of Parliament.