India’s Military Ties with Nepal - Gurkha Regiment

What is the issue?

Relations between India and Nepal are currently strained with Nepal's Parliament approving a new map with Indian territories included.
In this context, here is a look at the special ties between the Indian and Nepalese armed forces.

How did India’s military ties with Nepal evolve?

Soldiers from Nepal form a significant part of Indian Army’s legendary Gurkha regiment.
India’s military connection with Nepal goes back to the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
His army in Lahore enlisted Nepalese soldiers called Lahure or soldiers of fortune.
British India raised the first battalion of the Gurkha Regiment as the Nasiri regiment on April 24, 1815.
By the time the First World War started, there were 10 Gurkha regiments in the British Indian Army.
When India got freedom, these regiments were divided between the British and Indian armies.
This was done as per the Britain–India–Nepal Tripartite Agreement signed in November 1947.
Six Gurkha regiments with a lakh-odd soldiers came to India.
This went on to raise another regiment called '11 Gurkha Rifles'.
This was to accommodate soldiers of 7th Gurkha Rifles and the 10th Gurkha Rifles, who chose not to transfer to the British Army.

What are the current practices?

Any Nepali can join the Indian Army, both as a jawan and as an officer.
A citizen of Nepal can take the National Defence Academy or Combined Defence Services exams and join the Indian Army as an officer.
The Nepalese army also sends its officers for training to India’s military academies and combat colleges.
The Gurkha regiments, which have 35 battalions, recruit a large number of troops from Nepal.
There is a strong inter-personal ties between the soldiers and officers of the two countries due to the Gurkha regiments.
Every year, battalions commission a tour of Nepal.
Young officers from India trek to traditional recruiting areas in the rugged Himalayas.
They meet the locals, and often live in villages with ex-servicemen.
Both the officers and the troops are fiercely proud of their war cry ‘Jai Maha Kali, Ayo Gorkhali’, the khukri, and their command over Gurkhali language.
[Khukri is a type of large, recurved traditional knife that originated in Nepal.]
In the initial years after Independence, any officer who could not master Gurkhali in 3 months was shifted to another regiment.
The Indian Chief of Army Staff can be the honorary chief of the Nepalese army.
This convention dates back to 1972.
Back then, the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, a Gurkha regiment officer, was made the honorary chief of the Nepalese army.
Ever since, the Army chief of India is the honorary chief of the Nepalese army and vice-versa.

How about the rights of the soldiers from Nepal?

Soldiers from Nepal enjoy the same benefits as the India troops both during service and after retirement.
They get the same medical facilities as the Indian soldiers.
They can avail of healthcare facilities in India as well.
Also, often, medical teams from the Indian Army tour Nepal.
The British started giving the Nepalese soldiers pension only a few years ago.
Unlike this, the Indian Army has never discriminated against the Nepalese soldiers.
The Indian Army also runs welfare projects in Nepal villages, including small water and power projects.

Source: The Indian Express