Kathmandu, Aug 19 (IANS) Indian Army Chief, General Dhiraj Seth, concluded his four-day official visit to Nepal on Wednesday, returning to India after holding a series of high-level meetings and engagements aimed at strengthening military ties between the two neighbouring countries.

General Seth and his wife, Komal Seth, departed from Kathmandu on Wednesday, the Nepali Army said in a statement. Nepal’s Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Pradeep Jung K C, and his wife bid farewell to General Seth and his wife at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

General Seth, who arrived in Nepal on August 16 at the official invitation of Nepali Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel, was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by President Ram Chandra Paudel on August 17.

Nepal and India share a unique, decades-old tradition, dating back to 1950, of conferring the honorary rank of General on each other’s Army Chiefs. The tradition is believed to have contributed to strengthening military-to-military relations between the two countries.

During his visit, General Seth also paid courtesy calls on President Paudel, Prime Minister and Defence Minister Balendra Shah, and General Sigdel.

“The visit contributed to further strengthening the longstanding military relationship between Nepal and India,” the Nepali Army said on Wednesday.

Before departing for New Delhi, General Seth interacted with Indian Army ex-servicemen and their families at an ex-servicemen rally in Pokhara, honouring their exemplary service, sacrifice and enduring contributions.

Veer Naris — war widows of Indian armed forces personnel — were felicitated during the rally. Mobility equipment was also presented to ex-servicemen as part of India’s continued welfare and support initiatives for the veteran community, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said.

General Seth dedicated the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) Polyclinic in Kohalpur, a city in western Banke district, to the ex-servicemen community, reaffirming India’s commitment to the welfare of its veterans and their families residing in Nepal.

The establishment of the ECHS Polyclinic in Kohalpur is expected to reduce the need for ex-servicemen in western Nepal to travel to Kathmandu or Pokhara for medical treatment.

“The event was held as part of General Seth’s four-day visit to Nepal, highlighting the longstanding people-to-people and military ties between Nepal and India,” the Indian Embassy said.

--IANS

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