Indian Army chief on 3-day visit to Bangladesh

Indian Army chief Gen Manoj Pande today embarked on a three-day visit to Bangladesh beginning tomorrow (July 18), his first foreign trip since assuming office.

"Continuing with the excellent bilateral defence ties between India and Bangladesh, General Manoj Pande, the chief of army staff (COAS) has proceeded on a visit to Bangladesh from 18 to 20 July 2022," reports our New Delhi correspondent citing a Indian Defence Ministry statement.

Gen Pande will commence his visit by paying tributes to the brave-hearts who made the supreme sacrifice during the Liberation War of 1971 by laying a wreath at the Shikha Anirban on July 18.

During the day (July 18), he will hold multiple meetings with senior officials of the security establishment of Bangladesh and exchange views on various defence-related issues, the Ministry said in a statement.

Gen Pande will also pay tributes to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi.

On the second day of his visit, the Indian Army chief will address the students and faculty of Defence Services Command and Staff College in Mirpur.

He will thereafter visit and interact with the members of Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support and Operation Training (BIPSOT), a premier institute of Bangladesh which trains peacekeepers for employment in various UN Peace Operations. This will be followed by a visit to the Bangabandhu Military Museum at Mirpur.

"The visit will further deepen the bilateral relationships between the two armies and act as a catalyst for closer coordination and cooperation between the two countries on a host of strategic issues," according to the statement.