Indian Army chief Manoj Pande conferred honorary rank of Nepal Army General

General Pande was honoured at a special ceremony at the President's official residence 'Shital Niwas' in the capital city of Nepal during his ongoing visit to the Himalayan nation.

"The Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army General Manoj Pande was conferred the title of Honorary General of the Nepali Army by Rt Hon. Smt. Bidya Devi Bhandari, President of Nepal, on 5 September 2022. He was honoured at a special ceremony at the President's official residence 'Shital Niwas' in Kathmandu. He was also presented a sword and scroll during the function," the Indian embassy said in a statement.

The practice follows a seven-decade-old tradition of decorating army chiefs of each other's country with the honorary title.

Commander-in-Chief General KM Cariappa was the first Indian Army chief to be decorated with the title in 1950. In November last year, the Chief of the Nepali Army, General Prabhu Ram Sharma was also made the Honorary General of the Indian Army by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in New Delhi.

After the ceremony, General Manoj Pande called on Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari. During the call on, General Manoj Pande conveyed his gratitude for the honour bestowed upon him.

Earlier in the day, in a solemn ceremony, General Manoj Pande laid a wreath and paid homage at Bir Smarak (Martyr's Memorial) at Army Pavilion in Tundikhel, Kathmandu. Thereafter, he visited the Nepali Army headquarters where he was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour.

This was followed by a meeting with his counterpart General Prabhu Ram Sharma, during which both delegations discussed strengthening long-standing army-army relations. He was also given a comprehensive briefing by senior officers of the Nepali Army.

On behalf of the Indian government, General Manoj Pande presented training equipment to Nepali Army, along with Light Vehicles which would augment the capabilities of Nepali Army personnel.

General Manoj Pande arrived in Kathmandu on September 4, for a five-day official visit to Nepal, on the invitation of General Prabhu Ram Sharma, Chief of Army Staff, Nepali Army. (ANI)