KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari, the supreme commander of the Nepali Army (NA), conferred the rank of honorary chief of the NA on Chief of Indian Army Staff (CoAS) General Manoj Pande amid a special function at the Office of the President at Sheetal Niwas on Monday afternoon.

It has been a customary practice between armies of the two neighbors to confer the title to each other’s army chiefs since 1950 as a symbol of good military ties.

Indian Army Chief Pande arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday afternoon leading a five-member delegation on a five-day visit to Nepal.

General Pande, who arrived in Nepal at the invitation of Nepali Army Chief of Army Staff General Prabhuram Sharma, called on his Nepali counterpart Sharma and paid homage at the Brave Soldier Memorial at Sainik Manch Tundikhel earlier today.

The Chief of Indian Army also handed over military equipment worth Rs 223 million to Nepali Army (NA) as assistance.

The Indian Army Chief will also hold an official meeting with Prime Minister and Minister for Defense, Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Deuba and government high-ranking officials were present to grace the moment this afternoon.