Kathmandu, August 18: Indian Army Chief General Dheeraj Seth met with Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Tuesday during his four-day visit to Nepal. The meeting took place at the Prime Minister‘s Office, where Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, was also present.
Prime Minister Shah, who also oversees the Ministry of Defense, has limited face-to-face meetings with foreign diplomats and dignitaries since taking office on March 27.
Details of the discussions between the two leaders have not been disclosed by the Prime Minister’s Office. However, speculation suggests that the recruitment of Nepali youth into the Indian Army under the Agnipath scheme may have been a topic of conversation. This recruitment process has been on hold since 2019, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was suspended again in 2022 after the implementation of the Agnipath scheme.
The Nepali government halted the recruitment of its youth into the Indian Army, arguing that the scheme violates the terms of the 1947 tripartite agreement between India, Nepal, and the UK.
Earlier, on Monday, Nepal’s President Ram Chandra Poudel conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army upon General Dheeraj Seth. This honor is part of a unique tradition that has existed between Nepal and India since 1950, where both countries bestow honorary ranks on each other’s army chiefs.
This tradition is believed to have significantly strengthened military relations between the two nations. President Poudel presented the insignia of the honorary rank to General Seth during a special ceremony at the Sheetal Niwas, the President’s Office.
The ceremony was attended by Nepal’s Vice President Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, Chief Secretary Govind Bahadur Karki, Chief of the Nepali Army General Ashok Raj Sigdel, former army chiefs, various ministry secretaries, the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, and defense representatives from friendly nations.
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