INDIA-NEPAL: General Manoj Pande, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of India, will visit Kathmandu for four days starting on September 4, the Nepali Army announced in a statement on Wednesday.
General Pande's visit is accompanied by a five-person delegation and is made at the invitation of General Parbhu Ram Sharma of Nepal.
According to the statement, the Indian Army chief's itinerary's main activities include visiting the Mid-Command Headquarters in Pokhara and paying respects at the martyrs' memorial in the Army Pavilion. He will also meet with General Sharma, receive a guard of honour at Army Headquarters, and deliver various non-lethal military supplies to the Nepali Army. General Pande will also meet with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is also in charge of defence.
General Pande would reportedly pledge a sizable military assistance to Kathmandu as Nepal and India celebrate the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. The President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will bestow General Pande with the rank of Honorary General of the Nepali Army on September 5, which would be the primary event of the visit.
Since 1950, Nepal and India have a long-standing custom of granting both armies the level of an honorary title.
After taking office on April 30 following the retirement of his predecessor Manoj Mukund Naravane, this is his first trip to Nepal.
In November of last year, former President Ram Nath Kovind bestowed the honorific title of Chief of the Indian Army onto General Sharma of Nepal.
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