Kathmandu, Aug 16: Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth is arriving in Kathmandu today, with his arrival scheduled for around 4 pm.
Seth will be the most senior Indian official to visit Nepal since Prime Minister Balendra Shah took office. His decision to make Nepal his first foreign destination has drawn attention.
During his stay in Kathmandu, Seth is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who also holds the defence portfolio, and Chief of Army Staff General Ashok Raj Sigdel.
Seth, who assumed command of the Indian Army on June 30, 2026, is visiting Nepal to receive the honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepal Army have yet to formally release details of his itinerary.
However, Seth is scheduled to visit the Army Pavilion at Tundikhel to pay tribute and hold bilateral talks with General Sigdel on matters of mutual military cooperation.
The main event is scheduled for Monday, when President Ram Chandra Paudel will confer the honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army on Seth at a special ceremony at Sheetal Niwas.
The tradition of conferring honorary military ranks on the army chiefs of Nepal and India dates back around seven decades. According to Nepal Army headquarters, the practice has been in place since 1950.
Nepal Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel has also received the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army.
On December 12, 2024, Indian President Droupadi Murmu conferred the honorary rank on General Sigdel at a special ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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