Why is Indian army chief Pandey's visit to Nepal important ?

The Nepali Army has started the formal process for Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pandey to visit Nepal. Chief of Army Staff Prabhu Ram Sharma has invited Pandey to come to Nepal from September 5 to 8 through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, the date of his visit has not been approved. General Pandey became the Chief of the Army after the retirement of General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

 At present, General Pandey is busy visiting neighboring countries. He recently made a military visit to Bangladesh. Preparations for the visit of Indian Army Chief General Pandey to Nepal started when Nepal has not been officially decided whether or not to stay in the military alliance under the Indo-Pacific Military Command under the US Army and the Ministry of Defense.

Similarly, the visit of Indian Army Chief General Pandey to Nepal has been scheduled after the Chief of Army Staff Sharma returns from the Chief of Defense Staff Conference, which is attended by the army chiefs of most of the countries in the same alliance. Both of these issues have seen his visit with importance.

Military relations between Nepal and India are historical and traditional. Because of this relationship, military diplomacy and the facilitation of the army have gained prominence in the many ups and downs between Nepal and India.

India wants the Nepalese army to remain intact. Because of this, he has never hindered the expansion of the Nepali army's relationship with Pakistan and China's army.

However, the issue of participating in a military alliance in which the Nepalese army is built by a country has become a matter of objection for the Indian army. They informed this informally Jangi Adda and Singhadbar.

Similarly, during the visit of Army Chief Pandey to Nepal, the issue of the Agneepath plan promoted by the Indian government may also be discussed at the highest level. Whether this plan will affect the entry of Nepalis into the Indian Army or not will be a major issue.

However, this topic will not gain prominence even though it is in discussion as it is clear in the four-year period set by India for the enrolled under the Agneepath scheme, their service facilities, and subsequent programs.

The highlight of the Indian Army chief's visit to Nepal will be awarding him with the honorary title of Maharathi of the Nepalese Army, discussions on bilateral military interests, and his high-level meeting.

Since 1950, there has been a historical practice of giving honorary Maharathi to the army chiefs of both countries for the mutual relations between the Nepali Army and the Indian Army.
According to the same tradition, Prabhu Ram Sharma, the current Chief of Army Staff of Nepal, received the honorary title of Maharathi of the Indian Army from Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on 10th November 2021.

Eight months have passed since Sharma took the title. General Naravane was the Chief of Army Staff of India when Nepalese Army Chief Prabhu Ram Sharma visited India.