Indian Army Chief Gen Seth Holds ‘Warm And Productive’ Talks With Nepal PM Balendra Shah
Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth held a “warm and productive” discussion with Nepal Prime Minister and Defence Minister Balendra Shah in Kathmandu on Tuesday, as the two sides discussed ways to strengthen defence cooperation and military ties.
General Seth met Shah at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers at Singha Durbar. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava was also present. The talks covered bilateral interests and military relations between the two neighbouring countries.
The meeting came during General Seth’s official visit to Nepal from August 17 to 19. The visit is aimed at strengthening the long-standing defence partnership and military-to-military ties between India and Nepal.
A major highlight of the visit was Nepal conferring the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army on General Seth. President Ram Chandra Paudel conferred the rank on him at an investiture ceremony in Kathmandu on Monday. India and Nepal have followed the practice of giving each other’s Army chiefs the honorary rank of General since 1950.
General Seth also held talks with his Nepali counterpart, General Ashok Raj Sigdel, at Army Headquarters. The discussions focused on matters of mutual interest and ways to further strengthen military cooperation. He also visited the Nepali Army Command and Staff College in Shivapuri, where he interacted with student officers and discussed professional military education and contemporary security challenges.
On Tuesday, General Seth also offered prayers at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.
His visit comes at a time when wider India-Nepal ties have faced some diplomatic strain, including differences over the long-running Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani border dispute. Nepal has claimed the areas, while India maintains that they are part of Uttarakhand. New Delhi has also rejected any role for third countries in resolving the boundary issue.
Prime Minister Shah had earlier this month held a one-on-one meeting with Indian Ambassador Srivastava and stressed the importance of deepening Nepal’s historic relationship with India. Shah had previously avoided one-on-one engagements with foreign ambassadors and senior visiting officials, making the recent outreach notable.
Another important issue surrounding General Seth’s Nepal visit is the future of Gorkha recruitment into the Indian Army. Former Gorkha soldiers, their families and Nepali youths recently protested in Pokhara, seeking the resumption of recruitment of Nepali citizens under India’s Agnipath scheme. The recruitment has remained stalled since the introduction of the scheme.
On Wednesday, the final day of his visit, General Seth travelled to Pokhara for an Ex-Servicemen Rally, where he is scheduled to interact with Indian Army veterans and their families and felicitate Veer Naris and gallantry awardees. He is scheduled to return to India later in the day.