Indian Army Chief Dhiraj Seth Conferred Nepal’s Honorary General Rank After Guard Of Honour In Kathmandu

Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by President Ram Chandra Paudel in Kathmandu on Monday, during his three day official visit aimed at strengthening defence ties between India and Nepal.

General Seth received a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the Nepali Army Headquarters and laid a wreath at the Army Pavilion in Tundikhel. He arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday with a five member delegation at the invitation of Nepali Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel.

The honorary rank was conferred at an investiture ceremony at Sheetal Niwas, the official residence of the Nepalese president. Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava and senior Nepal Army and government officials attended the ceremony.

The honour follows a long standing military tradition dating back to 1950, under which India and Nepal confer the honorary rank of General on each other’s Army chiefs. Nepal Army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi in December 2024.

During his visit, General Seth held talks with General Sigdel at the Nepal Army Headquarters on matters of mutual interest and ways to further strengthen military cooperation. He also met Ambassador Srivastava at the Indian Embassy to discuss ways to deepen broader India Nepal relations.

General Seth also handed over military and medical equipment to the Nepal Army and planted a sapling at the Army Headquarters.

The Indian Embassy said the visit reaffirmed the unique and time tested defence relationship between India and Nepal, built on mutual trust and enduring army to army ties. The Nepal Army said the visit is expected to further strengthen cooperation and mutual trust between the two forces.

General Seth is scheduled to visit the Army Command and Staff Course at Shivapuri on Tuesday, where he will address student officers and interact with instructors and foreign officers. He is also expected to meet senior Nepalese dignitaries.

On August 19, he will travel to Pokhara to attend an Ex Servicemen Rally, where he will felicitate Veer Naris and gallantry awardees and interact with Indian Army veterans before returning to India.