New Delhi: Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi’s four-day visit to Nepal (November 20-24) aims to bolster the longstanding military ties between the two nations, a relationship currently strained by Nepal’s refusal to participate in India’s Agnipath recruitment scheme. The visit takes on added significance as China continues to deepen its strategic influence in the Himalayan nation.
The visit is intended to reinvigorate military cooperation between India and Nepal, encompassing joint exercises, training programs, modernisation efforts, and capacity building. India has provided training to over 300 Nepali Army personnel in Indian military establishments this year alone and is supporting Nepal’s military modernisation through the supply of hardware and software.
The upcoming 18th Surya Kiran joint military exercise, to be held in Nepal next month, will further expand the scope of cooperation and enhance interoperability.
A key element of General Dwivedi’s visit is the conferring of an honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army, a long-standing tradition symbolising the strong military bond between the two countries.
However, a major challenge overshadows these positive developments, the disagreement surrounding India’s Agnipath scheme. This scheme, launched in June 2022, offers four-year short-term service contracts without pension or ex-servicemen benefits, a proposition Nepal has resisted.
This impasse has significant implications, particularly considering China’s increasing influence in Nepal. Nepal’s participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the upcoming visit of Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to China—breaking from the long-standing tradition of first visiting India.
The historical context of the military relationship between India and Nepal is crucial. Since 1947, the Indian Army has recruited Nepalese Gorkhas under the Tripartite Agreement with Nepal and the UK. Approximately 30,000 Nepali citizens currently serve in the Indian Army, with 90,000 ex-servicemen receiving pensions. The potential end of this long-standing tradition looms large, with concerns expressed that the absence of Nepali Gorkhas from the Indian Army within the next decade or so could severely impact bilateral ties.
