‘UK govt will address Gurkhas’ grievances’

Kathmandu, February 22

Visiting British Minister of State for the Armed Forces Mark Lancaster today expressed commitment to address grievances of former British Gurkhas.

He made such a commitment during his meetings with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ishwor Pokharel, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.

Former Gurkhas have long been demanding that serving and former Gurkhas be paid salaries, pension, and other facilities equal to those paid to British soldiers.

In his meeting with Gyawali, Lancaster said the British government was preparing to announce a ‘package’ to address Gurkhas’ concerns, and sought Nepal’s support, according to Gyawali.

“We said Nepal commends the British efforts to solve issues related to former Gurkhas, and urged him to address the problem through broad consultations and not limiting to financial aspects of things,” Gyawali told The Himalayan Times after the meeting.

Gyawali said he also urged the visiting minister to consider the immense contribution made by the Gurkhas to the security of the UK, and address the issue in such a way that the Ghurkhas were satisfied.

During the meeting, the two sides also briefly reviewed Nepal-UK bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction over bilateral engagements.

Gyawali said he briefed the UK minister about the upcoming Investment Summit Nepal 2019, and requested the latter to encourage British investors invest in Nepal, to which he was positive. Gyawali also briefed about reforms Nepal was making to further improve Nepal’s investment climate.