Army Chief to visit Nepal in bid to improve ties

New Delhi, October 23

Amid freshly “erupted” border dispute, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane will be visiting Nepal, where he is likely to meet Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and is also expected to be conferred with the honorary rank of the Chief of Nepal army.

Nepal President Vidya Devi Bhandari is slated to do the honours at an investiture ceremony. The three-day visit, expected to commence on November 4, will be the second visit of a high-ranking Indian official to Nepal. On Thursday, RAW Chief Samant Kumar Goel visited Kathmandu and met Oli. The meeting has raised a controversy in the Himalayan kingdom.

India and Nepal bilateral ties were hit in May after Nepal claimed the Lipulekh region in north-eastern edge of Uttarakhand. India and Nepal are yet to hold talks on the border issue and the Army Chief’s visit was expected to prepare ground for engagement on the border row. — TNS