Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pandey is currently visiting Bangladesh at the invitation of Bangladesh Army Chief General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed.
General Manoj Pande paid a courtesy call on his Bangladesh counterpart General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed at Army Headquarters in the capital on Monday.
The Indian Army chief expressed gratitude to the Bangladeshi Army Chief for inviting him, said an ISPR press release.
At the end of the meeting, General Manoj Pandey said that his respect for Bangladesh and the basis of the existing historical and professional relations between the two armies were clearly revealed by coming to Bangladesh as the destination of his first foreign visit after taking charge as the Chief of the Indian Army.
He discussed the existing good relations between the army and various issues of cooperation for future progress. After that, a special briefing was organized for the delegation in the headquarters.
He was informed about Bangladesh Army's combat readiness, improved training system, role in world peace and overall administrative structure.
He praised the current leadership of Bangladesh Army and overall high standards of the army.
Before arriving at the headquarters, General Manoj Pandey paid tribute to the martyrs of Bangladesh's Liberation War by placing wreaths at Shikha Anirban in Dhaka Cantonment. He was later given a guard of honor by a smart contingent of the army at Senakunja. The head of Indian Army also planted a tree sapling there.
Later in the day, General Manoj Pandey met Security Adviser to the Prime Minister Major General ( Retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddique.
He also made courtesy call on the Chiefs of Bangladesh Navy and Air Force. In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and toured the museum.
In the evening, a banquet dinner and interesting cultural program will be held in honor of General Manoj Pandey at the Army Multipurpose Complex on behalf of Bangladesh Army Chief. The delegation of India and senior officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces will be present there.
General Manoj Pandey will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He will address the local and foreign trainees at the Defense Service Command and Staff College (DSCSC) in Mirpur Cantonment. On the same day, the visiting team will visit Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training (BIPSOT) and Bangabandhu Military Museum located in Rajendrapur Cantonment.
Through this visit, the existing relationship between the Indian and Bangladeshi armies will be more dynamic, said the ISPR hand out. The Indian delegation will return to India on July 21.
General Manoj Pande arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning on a four-day visit at the invitation of General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed. The Indian Army Chief is accompanied by his spouse Archana Pande and a three-member delegation.