The BGWS is campaigning for equal rights, which, if successful, will ensure equal pension to only those Gurkha soldiers who served the UK Army for over 15 years, and are entitled to regular pensions. Last year, BGWS had filed a case in the British high court claiming for equal pensions to only those Gurkha soldiers entitled to regular pensions. This excludes those who get -- or are yet to get -- charity pensions. [break]
BGWS has also succeeded in having an Early Day Motion proposed in the British Parliament in this regard, after persuading 99 British MPs to support them, thus putting the proposal on priority.
Sources say BGWS has promised to give up all other demands for ever if the UK government treats regular pension-holder Gurkhas on a par with their British counterparts.
The campaign has undermined other former Gurkha soldiers longstanding battle to ensure rights of charity pension-holder Gurkhas and their widows.
Against the 1947 tripartite treaty, the UK Army sent back scores of Gurkha soldiers after various wars in the past.
The treaty clearly stipulates that the UK should not treat Gurkhas as mercenary soldiers. This means that Gurkha soldiers are not hired just for the purpose of war, but as an integral and distinguished part of the UK Army. The treaty further says that financial and welfare facilities are provided to Gurkhas on a par with their British counterparts.
Irrespective of the treaty´s spirit, the UK delisted scores of Gurkha soldiers after various wars -- be it the second world war or that of Falkland. About 10,000 delisted Gurkha soldiers are still alive. They live in pitiful conditions with no substantial means of regular income.
The British Gurkha Welfare Trust (BGWT) - a UK government agency formed to look after ex-Gurkhas´ families -- provides a monthly charity pension of Rs 4,000 to delisted Gurkhas. However, all delisted Gurkhas do not receive charity pension. BGWT selects some delisted Gurkhas on prerogative basis to provide charity pension.
According to SB Ghising, secretary of United British Gurkha Ex-Servicemen Association of Nepal (UBGESAN), the UK government provides chariy pensions to all ex-British soldiers who serve just two years. “In our case, even those former Gurkha soldiers who served more than five years are not getting charity pensions,” Ghising asserts.
UBGESAN has asked the UK government to provide charity pensions to all those Gurkha soldiers who were forcibly sent back to their country with no substantial compensation. “If the UK provides charity pension to all those British soldiers who served just two years, then why can they not do so to Gurkhas who served more?,” he asks.
Prem Rai, chairman of UBGESAN, opines that it would be an injustice to all delisted Gurkhas if the UK provides equal pensions to only regular pension-holder Gurkhas. “The delisted Gurkha soldiers are the ones who fought various wars for the UK,” he says.
BGWS, however, defends its campaign on pragmatic grounds. “Our past experience has proved that we get nothing if we raise a number of demands,” Lok Gurung, Nepal representative of BGWS, says. “We, therefore, raised only one demand of equal regular pensions.”
Gurung says it is ´the Nepali way´ to raise a number of demands at a time so as to get one addressed. “But our association is based in London and we fight ´the British way´. We just try to nurse the prime wound, which affects us most severely.”
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