An outlawed political group in Nepal has demanded that its Gorkha citizens do not fight against China on behalf of India.
The Communist Party of Nepal, led by Netra Bikram Chand, which is underground but has considerable following among the revolutionary Left urged the leadership in Kathmandu to stop allowing Gorkha citizens from being part of the Indian military.
“Amid India-China border tension followed by the killing of Indian troops in the Galwan Valley, India has recently asked Nepali nationals in the Gorkha Regiment who are currently on home leave to rejoin duty. This means the Indian side is preparing to deploy our fellow Nepali nationals in the Indian Army in their battle against China,” said a press release signed by Biplab, an alias of Netra Bikram Chand.
The statement said Nepal follows a “non-aligned foreign policy”. Deployment of Gorkha soldiers by India would go against Nepalese foreign policy goals, Mr. Chand said, adding, “Nepal is an independent nation and its youth working for the military of one country should not be used against another.”
The comment from the outlawed group came on a day when Nepal joined Bangladesh and Afghanistan in extending support for a negotiated settlement to the ongoing tension in Ladakh, which has already claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers.
“In the context of recent developments in the Galwan valley area between our friendly neighbours India and China, Nepal is confident that both the neighbouring countries will resolve, in the spirit of neighbourliness, their mutual differences through peaceful means in favour of bilateral, regional and world peace and stability,” a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kathmandu has said.
