British Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, who are visiting Nepal, reached Pokhara on Thursday afternoon. As soon as they disembarked from the army ship at the international airport, the Edward couple reached the Gorkha Welfare Trust office at Buddhachowk in Pokhara. Befriended the widow of an ex-Gurkha soldier who was a dependent in the hostel run by the trust.

The prince wanted to know where the widow's husband had fought and served. He tried to understand if there were any complaints about the service facilities provided by the Gorkha Welfare Office. 88-year-old Padam Kumari Sunuwar, who has been living in the hostel for the past 14 years, narrated her story to Rajkumar. 

Edward listened seriously to Padam Kumari, who was hard of hearing and had to walk with the help of a wheelchair. She expressed her tiredness of not being able to meet her husband when Rajkumar came to Nepal. "When I came home from the battle, the bullet entered here and came out here," she said, pointing to her left sapra, "the skin was removed here (right sapra) and put here (left sapra). Now he is dead. If he had not died, he would have come here. After listening to Padam Kumari, the princely couple kept thanking the Gorkhali for doing a great job.

Bhakta Bahadur, the husband of Padam Kumari of Okhaldhunga, was recruited by Britain during the war with Indonesia from 1963 to 1966. Britain won the battle. Bhakta Bahadur who was in 10 GR could not serve the full term. Britain sent pensions. Even after the end of the Second World War in 1945, Britain was still fighting with other countries. 

Britain used to recruit when there was a war and send them home when it was over. Nepali ex-Gurkha soldiers were forced to return home without pension. After that, there were staged battles. Even those included in it were not given full pension. Bhakta Bahadur was one of those who did not get it. 

Britain is providing welfare pension and health facilities through the Gorkha Welfare Trust for ex-Gorkha soldiers who have returned to Nepal. There are more than 3,000 ex-Gorkha soldiers who are receiving welfare pensions and benefits in this way across Nepal. According to Nim Bahadur Pun, the head of Gorkha Welfare Trust, Pokhara, there are currently 20 people living permanently in Pokhara's residence and 3 ex-Gorkha soldiers and their families who came for rehabilitation. 

16 of them are widows of ex-Gurkha soldiers and 4 are ex-Gurkha soldiers who are getting welfare pension. Three will return home after their health improves. "If there is no one in the family to take care of them, we bring them here and keep them," he said.

The Rajkumar couple reached the office of the trust and inquired about the work done by the trust and Kaduri. At the welfare office, they also met the former Gurkha soldier who guarded the British Queen Elizabeth when she participated in various functions. The princely couple also met the ex-servicemen and their families who are receiving pension through the Gorkha Welfare Office.