It is for Nepal to decide whether to continue Gorkha recruitment: Saran
Special envoy of the Indian prime minister and former Indian ambassador to
Nepal Shyam Saran has said India is ready to stop Gorkha recruitment if
Nepal government so wishes, reports Kantipur Daily.
He also made it clear that India would suffer no "practical impact" by
stopping Gorkha recruitment.
Speaking at a talk programme organised at Indian International Center in
New Delhi, Saran said that the recruitment has been continued because of
the "special relations" enjoyed by the two countries.
"It is for Nepal to decide whether to continue recruitment or not. If it
decides that there be no further recruitment then Indian will play the
role accordingly," Saran said
Although stopping recruitment of all Nepali nationals in Gorkha regiments
in the India and U.K army features at the top of the priority list of the
CPN (Maoist) party which has emerged as the biggest party after the
Constituent Assembly election and is likely to lead the next government,
Prachanda has been saying that he has no intention of discontinuing Gorkha
recruitment immediately.
Some 40,000 Nepalese are currently serving in the Indian Gorkha regiments.
During the programme, Saran also put forward his views on Madhesh, the
1950 Treaty and India's stand on the current political situation of Nepal,
stressing implementation of the agreement between the Nepal government and
the Madhesi parties. nepalnews.com ag May 21 08
