The era of drone warfare has begun—can battles be fought with old khukuris?

By Prem Sagar Poudel

It has been revealed that the agreement made by the Nepal Robotics Association to manufacture drones in collaboration with the United States was coordinated through the government. Although Nepal is not in a position to engage in warfare with any country, Minister of Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung stated in a speech on January 27, “In future wars, Nepal should fly drones, not wield khukuris.”

Addressing a program announcing “One Local Body, One Post Office,” Minister Gurung surprised the attendees when he began talking about warfare during his speech. He posed the question, “The era of drone warfare has begun—can battles be fought with old khukuris?”

Currently, Nepal is not in a position to engage in conflict with any country. Moreover, the event in which Minister Gurung participated was not related to warfare. He could have spoken about the use of drones in postal services, but instead, he focused on the use of drones in wars. His remarks seemed to be far removed from the understanding of the attendees. One possible reason behind this could be the initiation of the process to manufacture drones in Nepal with U.S. support.

On the other hand, Minister Gurung’s emphasis on using drones in warfare indicates that American influence at the ministerial level in Nepal is apparent. Publicly, there has been no debate about developing or using drones for warfare in Nepal. The government has also not invested in this sector. However, the minister’s remarks suggest the government may be supporting the Nepal Robotics Association to fulfill U.S. interests.

This raises concerns that the government might be aligning with U.S. plans to turn Nepal into a base for advanced weaponry, including drones, to target China. Such suspicions have arisen due to the minister’s public speech highlighting drones’ role in warfare.