Nepali youths, joined by former Gorkha soldiers and their family members, took to the streets in Nepal’s Pokhara city this week, demanding Nepalese citizens be allowed to enlist as Agniveers under the Indian Army’s Agnipath scheme. The enlistment of Gorkha soldiers into the Indian Army has been one of the strongest shared links between India and Nepal.
But recruitments have been paused since 2019, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nepal subsequently suspended the recruitment of Nepali youths after India introduced the Agnipath scheme in 2022, under which only up to 25 per cent of recruits are retained for permanent service after four years.
