Archive · 18 Aug 2026
India-Nepal army chiefs discuss defence ties; Gorkha recruitment unclear
The army leaders of India and Nepal met to talk about working together and being friends.
The leader of India's army got a special honorary title from Nepal's president.
This is a tradition that has happened since 1950.
The two countries have been military partners for a very long time.
Gorkha soldiers from Nepal have served in India's army for more than 200 years.
But Nepal has stopped sending new Gorkha soldiers to India since 2020.
This happened because of the pandemic and a new Indian army plan called Agnipath.
Nepal does not like this plan because it does not give soldiers retirement benefits.
It also says the plan breaks an old agreement from 1947.
It is not clear yet if the two countries talked about starting Gorkha recruitment again.
Indian Army chief General Dhiraj Seth met Nepalese counterpart General Ashok Raj Sigdel in Kathmandu to discuss defence cooperation and military-to-military ties.
Seth was conferred the rank of Honorary General of the Nepal Army by President Ramchandra Paudel at Sheetal Nivas in Kathmandu on Monday.
Gorkha recruitment from Nepal has been suspended since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2022 Agnipath scheme.
Nepal rejected the Agnipath scheme, saying it violated the tripartite India-Nepal-UK Agreement of 1947 and raised concerns about re-employability of Gorkha soldiers.
The Indian Army has seven Gorkha regiments with about 34,000 Nepali citizens serving, and previously hired 1,200-1,500 Gorkhas from Nepal annually.
- Who
- Indian Army chief General Dhiraj Seth and Nepalese Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel, with Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel conferring the honorary rank.
- What
- Discussions on strengthening defence cooperation and military-to-military ties, including the conferral of the Honorary General rank on the Indian Army chief.
- When
- Monday, during Seth's four-day official visit that began on Sunday.
- Where
- Kathmandu, Nepal, including an investiture ceremony at Sheetal Nivas.
- Why
- To strengthen defence cooperation between India and Nepal, continuing a long tradition of military ties; the status of Gorkha recruitment resumption remains unclear.
India's Position
Nepal's Position
Agnipath Scheme for Gorkha Recruitment
India's Position
India introduced the Agnipath scheme in 2022, recruiting soldiers called Agniveers for four years without retirement benefits, and has not confirmed whether Gorkha recruitment resumption was discussed.
Nepal's Position
Nepal refused to agree to the Agnipath scheme for its citizens, saying it violated the tripartite India-Nepal-UK Agreement of 1947 and raised concerns over the re-employability of Gorkha soldiers after the four-year term.
- Indian Army Chief
- General Dhiraj Seth
- Nepalese Army Chief
- General Ashok Raj Sigdel
- Nepal President
- Ramchandra Paudel
- Honorary Rank Tradition
- Started in 1950
- Gorkha Recruitment Suspended
- Since 2020
- Agnipath Scheme Introduced
- 2022
- Nepali Citizens in Indian Army
- About 34,000
- Annual Gorkha Hiring Before Freeze
- 1,200-1,500
- India-Nepal Border Length
- Over 1,850 km