Kathmandu August 31, : The Indian Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande, is scheduled to be arriving in Kathmandu on the 4th of September for a four-day trip to the Himalayan nation according to the Nepali Army said in a statement released on Wednesday.A five-member team accompanying him General Pande’s visit comes upon the invitation of his Nepal counterpart General Parbhu Ram Sharma.
The most important activities in the Indian Army chief’s itinerary include paying tribute to the memorial to the martyrs in the Army Pavilion and receiving the Guard of honour at the Army Headquarters and have an informal gathering with General Sharma and hand over various non-lethal military objects to the Nepali Army, interaction with students from the Army Command and Staff College, Shivapuri, and a visit to the Mid-Command Headquarters in Pokhara the statement said.
While Nepal and India are celebrating the beginning of 75 years of diplomatic ties, the General Pande is expected to announce a major military aid to Kathmandu sources told.
The most significant aspect of the trip is the conferment of the title of an Honorary General of the Nepali Army to General Pande by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on September 5.
Nepal and India have a long-standing tradition of the conferring of the title of the honourary title of both armies, since 1950.
General Pande is scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.Deuba holds the portfolio of defence.
It is his first trip to Nepal following his appointment on April 30, following the death of the predecessor Manoj Mukund Naravane.
General Sharma was conferred the title of honorary of Chief of the Indian Army by the former President Ram Nath Kovind in November last year.
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