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Pokhara: To save the Indian Gurkha brigade, India and Nepal should immediately begin talks on finding a solution, retired Indian Army Major General Ashok Mehta has said. Mehta, who was in Pokhara on Sunday for the 138th anniversary of the Ex-Army Association of the 2/5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), noted that after Nepal stopped recruitment, the Indian Army began recruiting from regions such as Naga, Garhwal, and Kumaon. He stated that this shift became necessary due to the unavailability of recruits from Nepal.

Emphasizing the long-standing tradition of Nepalis serving in the Indian Army, Mehta stressed that recruitment should resume promptly. He underscored that this issue extends beyond recruitment and is deeply tied to India-Nepal relations. Nepali citizens have served in the Indian Army, shedding blood on the borders with China and Pakistan, a sacrifice that he believes speaks volumes.

When asked why Gurkha recruitment had been suspended, Mehta responded that if he were Prime Minister, he would reopen recruitment for Gurkhas. He clarified that the Agniveer scheme would not apply to Nepal, as India-Nepal relations require a different approach.

He urged the Indian government to reinstate Nepal’s recruitment, while suggesting that Nepal initiate discussions with India about the suspension. Prior to the halt, 1,200 to 1,500 Nepalis joined the Indian Army annually.

Capt Rameshwar Thapa was invited as a special guest to the event. Mehta commended Thapa’s contributions to Nepal, particularly during the Maoist insurgency and the drafting of the 2015 constitution.

Capt Thapa spoke about India-Nepal ties and a wide range of other issues including the contribution made by Gurkha soldiers.

President Ramchandra Paudel has extended his congratulations to Donald Trump following his election as the President of the United States. On Wednesday, President Paudel took to social media platform X to share his well wishes.

"Warm congratulations, President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your historic win! Wishing you all success for your second term as the President of the USA! I am confident that Nepal-US relations will be further strengthened during your tenure," Poudel wrote in his post.

China has sought Nepal’s support in its bid to maintain peace by ending the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and growing crisis in the Middle East. 

Chen Gang, a member of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made such a statement during talks with top leaders of major political parties. Chen, who is also secretary of the CPC Qinghai provincial committee, led a delegation that visited Nepal Oct 19 to 20.

The Chinese delegation discussed the current global crisis, including the ongoing wars, and informed us about Beijing’s attempts to end the war, said a Nepali leader requesting anonymity, asking Nepal for support in its peace bid and hailing Nepal as a land of peace where Gautam Budha was born.

Both in the Russia-Ukraine war and in the Mideast, China is playing the peacemaker by leveraging its clout. Both Russia and Ukraine recognize the importance of including Beijing in their negotiations. The Chinese delegation, during the interaction with Nepal’s communist parties, discussed a range of bilateral issues, including Xi Jinping’s short visit to Nepal in 2019. 

According to Xinhua, during the stay in the Himalayan country, the CPC delegation had exchanges with leaders of Nepal’s political parties and attended a briefing on the spirit of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Committee, which was focused on sharing the opportunities brought by the Chinese-style modernization and deepening the trans-Himalayan cooperation.

In meetings and exchanges with the CPC delegation, the Nepali side reaffirmed commitment to the one-China policy and expressed the willingness to further strengthen inter-party exchanges with the Chinese side, and to deepen cooperation in various fields, promoting the continuous development of relations between the two countries, Xinhua reports. 

According to Nepali leaders, the Chinese side focused on enhancing ties on multiple fronts, including in the agriculture sector. Of late, the Chinese side is expressing readiness to support Nepal's agriculture sector but Nepal has not come up with any concrete proposal. A few weeks ago, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Cheng Song had said that his country was ready to lend support to Nepal for establishing a fertilizer plant. Unlike the previous delegation, this delegation did not raise the Belt and Road Initiative, according to a leader. 

Of late, CPC has stepped up engagement with Nepal’s political parties and the government.

A furious diplomatic row between India and Canada has pushed an otherwise fringe separatist campaign for an independent Sikh homeland in Punjab into the international spotlight. The ‘Khalistan’ campaign dates back to India’s 1947 independence, and has been blamed for the assassination of a prime minister and the bombing of a passenger jet.

It has been a bitter issue between India and several Western nations with large Sikh populations. New Delhi demands stricter action against the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India, with key leaders accused of ‘terrorism’. Canada has alleged that India arranged the 2023 killing in Vancouver of a Khalistan campaigner, 45-year-old naturalized Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Four Indian nationals have been arrested in connection with the murder. 

New Delhi, which wanted Nijjar for alleged terrorism offenses, calls the allegations ‘absurd’. In a separate case, in which New Delhi is cooperating, the United States has accused India of directing a 2023 failed assassination plot in New York. The alleged target was another Khalistan campaigner, dual US-Canadian citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The US State Department on Wednesday said India had told it that an intelligence operative accused of directing the plot was no longer in government service.