Kathmandu, November 8:

The United British Gurkha Ex-Servicemen’s Association, Nepal (UBGEAN), an organisation formed recently to fight against the British discrimination against Gurkha ex-servicemen, has accused the Gorkha Army Ex-Servicemen Organisation (GAESO) of killing the 15-year-old international campaign for equal treatment.

Addressing a press conference at the Reporters’ Club today, the UBGEAN chairman, Prem Rai, accused the GAESO officials of deceiving the entire ex-Gurkha community by aborting the 15-year movement that the Gurkha ex-servicemen had launched seeking pension on a par with their British counterparts.

Accusing the GAESO of embezzling tens of millions of rupees that it had collected in donations, Rai charged the former with misleading the community with false information.

According to him, the GAESO refused assistance from parliament, failed to maintain transparency, hired a lawyer from the opponent’s firm and gave up its demands.

“The legal officer of the GAESO told the Gurkha community that they won the case after it was scrapped. He also did not introduce the issue of equal pension in the court,” he said, adding that GAESO leadership, on the other hand, had accepted the proposal of “fair pension”.

He also accused GAESO officials of involvement in kidnapping and attacking of UBGEAN members in Dharan on October 23.

Rai, however, said the UBGEAN had no immediate plans to file a case against the discrimination, adding that the organisation would rather sensitise the issue in the community.

On the other hand, the GAESO secreatry, Mahendra Lal Rai, said the accusition is a “dirty game” played by senior officials of British Gurkhas. “We are going to raise the curtain behind it.”