Indian Air Force Chief Arup Raha in town

Indian Air Force Chief Arup Raha arrived in Dhaka yesterday on a five-day official visit to Bangladesh.

Diplomatic sources said the visit, till February 25, is intended to take the existing defence cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries to the next level.

The areas of cooperation at present include exchange in military training courses, exchange of visits and joint sporting activities, they said.

During his stay, Air Chief Marshal Raha, who is also chairman of the chiefs of staff committee of the Indian Defence Forces, is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with the three chiefs of Bangladesh Armed Forces.

He is expected to call on the president and the prime minister.

Arup Raha will visit the air bases in Jessore, Bashar and Chittagong, the National Defence College in Dhaka, Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) in Mirpur and Bangladesh Army Headquarters.

He will also gift advanced training aids comprising of aircraft sub assemblies to MIST, Mirpur. The Indian air force chief will also gift airframe of Alloute aircraft to the Liberation War Museum, according to a press release of the High Commission of India in Bangladesh.