KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 12

This year, Nepal and the United Kingdom are celebrating the 100th year of the conclusion of Nepal-UK Friendship Treaty and 70th year of the first summit of Mt Everest. The Minister of Defence People, Veterans and Service Families of the UK, Dr Andrew Murrison, MP, recently visited Nepal and met with high-level government officials. Murrison also observed the attestation parade of new Gurkha recruits in the British Army.

Rajan Pokhrel of The Himalayan Times caught up with Murrison. 'We are very keen on having them (Gurkhas) in the British Army and that is a very important part of what we do to defend our values,' he said during a half-an-hour interview. Excerpts:

Is this your first time in Nepal?

Yes, this is my first time in Nepal and it's a great pleasure to be here. I had the opportunity to spend some significant time with Gurkhas, their families, and veterans, which is the principal reason for my visit.

I had the honour of attending serious bilateral ministerial meetings in Kathmandu and these took up matters of mutual interest. It's good to be here to mark the diplomatic relationship between Nepal and the United Kingdom, which is deep and historic.

Relationship between Nepal and the United Kingdom goes back centuries. It is the longest-serving diplomatic relationship. How does your government plan to work to further enhance relations between the two countries and ensure more support from the UK to Nepal's development?

As Nepal is soon graduating from the category of least developed country, it will become more prosperous. That is also the calculus of countries like the United Kingdom in terms of the aid they provide according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development rules. So, there is calibration and recalibration happening over time.

Those countries which have graduated from LDCs are likely to receive less direct support, but we also need to think of the commitment the UK has made to Nepal.

My presence here today is also a testament to that concept before the next ministerial visit to Nepal in the near future.

Could you tell us about the specific issues that were discussed during your meetings with high-level Nepali officials including the prime minister, ministers of foreign affairs as well as defence?

I don't have the specifics, but in broad general terms, the meetings mainly focused on relationship between the two countries. And, in particular, the focus of my visit is related to the special bond between us, which is the Gurkhas, the arrangements we have regarding them, and the fact of mutual benefits Nepal and the United Kingdom have enjoyed for many, many years.

Since the Gurkhas' first enlistment in the British Army in 1815, they have been serving the British crown with unswerving loyalty and courage.

What do you want to say about their contribution as well as the historical and contemporary relations between the British and Gurkhas?

Well, the relationship between the British and Gurkhas is truly historic and it's a remarkable facet of the British Army. I believe the Gurkhas are an irreplaceable part of the British Army for many decades.

The Gurkhas are very much at the heart of British people. They are formidable soldiers, first and foremost. And, that makes them particularly valid in terms of defence of the United Kingdom. We are very keen on having them in the British Army and that is very important part of what we do to defend our values.

While all the roles in the UK Armed Forces were opened to women in 2018, what's the progress in the possibility of accepting Nepalese women as Gurkhas?

Women now serve in the British armed forces' in every part, apart from the brigade of Gurkhas. I would say that women serve in the Nepali Army and every part of the British Army. I would very much like to see women serving in the Gurkhas.

So looking to the future, my hope and belief is that would become a reality. I can't give you the exact timeframe but I think it is something that we should start.

Besides, in recent times, the 'Justice for Gurkhas' campaign has also drawn the attention of global observers. Ex-Gurkhas' claim for equal pension and pay for those who retired before 1997 or were made redundant by the British Army, remains unaddressed. How is the new British government trying to resolve ex-Gurkha's problems?

Gurkhas serve under the same terms and conditions as any other soldier in the British army now. As for what has happened in the past, a committee has been set up under the joint chair of me and Nepal's ambassador to the UK. We met once, and there has also been a technical committee of officials working with us on some of the issues that have drawn our attention. I will hold further meetings when I get back to London.

I think it's important, however, to know that it's a strong principle that the treasury in the United Kingdom doesn't give room to retrospective changes to pension arrangements and that is the strong longstanding position.

We understand a substantive meeting took place in London on 30 November 2022 where the Gurkha Justice Campaign raised a number of issues. Could you tell us what these issues are and what was the agreed course of action?

I think it depends where you are in the veterans' community. There are some veterans who, I think, believe they have been shortchanged when it comes to pension arrangements.

Some of that has to do with the switch between the Gurkha pension scheme and the armed force pension scheme and the choices they made at that time. Some of the cases are quite complicated and need to be worked out. But, the arrangements have been upheld by the European Court of Human Rights and the Supreme Court. So, the position of the UK government is that the pension arrangements are sound and won't be changed.

In certain Individual cases, the Gurkha Welfare Trust will look at these issues and assist veterans. The good point is that the GWT has a huge significance in the veteran's community.

I have seen myself this week the brilliant work they are doing in the country around water sanitation, which is inspirational, and also around healthcare services.

If the British government remains steadfast in the decision that they cannot make any retrospective changes to the pension arrangements, what are the alternative solutions? Will the government consider awarding tax -free compensation?

I have not heard of this situation yet up to this point. Taxation in Nepal is clearly a matter of the Nepalese government. Taxation in the UK would preferably change and this would have consequences for all the taxpayers in the UK. I am a service pensioner myself and suggest that pension should be tax free. If it works, I will be delighted because I will be one of the beneficiaries. But, I think the reality is, it is 'unlikely to happen'.

Will negotiations related to pension arrangements conclude by March as anticipated?

Let's see where they go. My commitment to the last meeting was to come here and talk to veterans myself to better understand the situation in the country. I will go back and request another meeting with Nepal's ambassador and rest of the committee and see where we can go. I think it's important to understand that there are two veteran communities speaking and we are addressing - one in the UK and the other one in Nepal. We feel we have an obligation to both, clearly because I have been here celebrating the contribution of our veterans. There is the sense that we need to do everything we can. We have a process which we set up with the ambassador.

I am hopeful that we will come up with something which will be acceptable to all.

Apart from equal pension rights, Gurkha veterans have also been demanding equal pay and perks, free healthcare and equal compensation, residency for family members of Gurkha soldiers and equal pension for widows of Gurkha soldiers who died during service. What is your government's take on these demands?

Obviously, we look at all these cases sympathetically and always do. There were best practices in the past when it came to the Gurkha service. For example, Gurkha soldiers are eligible to get retirement pension after 15 years of service unlike their British counterparts who can do so only after putting in 22 years in army service. As UK's position, as it is, has been upheld by Europe, and London, we need to be very careful while making promises that are unlikely to be fulfilled.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 13, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.