KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 05
President Bidya Devi Bhandari today conferred the Honorary Rank of General of the Nepali Army to the Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande amid a special function at Rastrapati Bhavan, in Kathmandu.
Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Chief Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi, Chief of the Army Staff General Prabhu Ram Sharma, former Chiefs of Army Staff of Nepali Army, Secretaries of Office of President, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador of India to Nepal Naveen Srivastava and others were present on the occasion.
General Pande was presented with a sword, insignia and a certificate of conferment order by the President during the ceremony, according to the Nepali Army.
The Nepali Army and the Indian Army traditionally honour each other's chiefs by conferring on the honorary rank of General, given the close military ties shared by the two neighbours since 1951.
So far, 21 Indian Army Chiefs and 17 Nepali Army Chiefs have received the honorary rank of the General of each other's army.
This long-held tradition is emblematic of the close ties between the national armies of Nepal and India, the NA said issuing a press statement.
