Indian army chief in Dhaka on two-day visit

General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, arrived in Dhaka on Monday on a two-day visit.

He is visiting Bangladesh at the invitation of his counterpart General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed and will attend the Passing Out Parade of the 84th BMA Long Course at Bangladesh Military Academy at Bhatiari in Chattogram on Tuesday.

This visit of Indian army chief to Bangladesh follows the recent visit of General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed to India when he was invited Gen Pande to review the Passing Out Parade at Officers’ Training Academy, Chennai, said an ISPR release.

On the first day of his tour, Gen Pande met Bangladesh Army chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed at the army headquarters. He also held bilateral discussion with the Bangladesh Army chief and reviewed the entire ground of defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh.

Before going to army headquarters, Gen Pande paid tributes to members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces who made the supreme sacrifice during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 by laying a wreath at the altar of Shikha Anirban in Dhaka Cantonment.

These high-level exchanges provide an opportunity to both sides to renew the close bonds of friendship and fraternal ties that exist between the Armed Forces of India and Bangladesh, said the release.