Gurkha service in Britain's armed forces under threat from Nepal government bill They have since then fought in most of Britain's major conflicts, including Afghanistan where a number of Gurkha troops have lost their lives. Today there are still 3,800 Gurkhas serving in British forces around the world, while more than 30,000 serve in the Indian Army. Singapore and Brunei have their own Gurkha forces. Potential recruits are put through grueling physical endurance tests, in which they must be able to run up mountains carrying packs weighing 77 lbs. Nepal's parliamentarians now want to end the relationship and use their talents at home. Padam Lal Bishwakarma, chairman of Nepal's Parliamentary International Relations and Human Rights Committee, last night told the Daily Telegraph he wanted the recruitment to end but not until the country coluld offer the men alternative jobs which matched its pay. We should have that target that one day we should be able to employ all these youths. Then we will have to stop this recruitment," he said. "Our youths are compelled to go abroad because of our lack of opportunities in our own country," he added. Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday sought to allay fears of any imminent ruling on the issue and stressed the committee's report had simply been distributed throughout government. The government has not said anything about this. There is no need to panic," said spokesman A.B Thapar. Britain's defence attaché in Kathmandu, Col Andrew Mills, who oversees Gurkha recruitment and welfare in the country, said the current arrangement contributes so much to the Nepal economy that he doubts there will be any change. We bring a lot of benefits without which the place would grind to a standstill. I pay directly into Nepal, not including remittances, £87 million a year and that is very closely matched by the Department for International Development. The net swag is eight per cent of Nepal's GDP. No sane government would stop that, there are no jobs here," he said.