KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 5
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari conferred the insignia of the honorary rank of general of the Nepali Army on General Manoj Pande, the chief of the army staff, Indian Army, amidst an investiture ceremony held at Rastrapati Bhavan, Sheetal Niwas, today.
Pande is on a five-day visit to Nepal at the official invitation of Chief of Army Staff Prabhu Ram Sharma.
General Pande was presented with a sword, insignia and a certificate of conferment order by the president during the ceremony.
The Nepali Army and the Indian Army traditionally honour each other's chief by conferring the honorary rank of general, given the close military ties shared by the two close neighbours for decades.
This long-held tradition is emblematic of the close ties shared by the two neighbours for decades. This long-held tradition is emblematic of the close relations between the national armies of Nepal and India.
Among the dignitaries present at the investiture ceremony were Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ambassador of India to Nepal Naveen Srivastava, among other government employees, and high level army officials.
Earlier this morning, Pande paid his tribute to the martyrs in the Army Pavilion. He received and inspected a guard of honour in the Army Headquarters and planted a sapling on the Headquarters premises. He had then held a meeting with his Nepali counterpart Sharma at the latter's office.
Nepali Army said that they exchanged views on issues of mutual interests and discussed measures to further strengthen the existing bond of friendship and cooperation between the two armies.
Pande then handed over medical equipment, 10 mine protective vehicles, four stallions, maintenance and spare equipment as per the Nepal-India Bilateral Consultative Group on Security Issues. Pande later joined the banquet hosted by Sharma late today.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 6, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
