Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army General Manoj Pande called on his Bangladesh counterpart S M Shafiuddin Ahmed at the Army Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment on Monday.

At the beginning of the meeting, General Pande said after taking charge he took Bangladesh as his first foreign destination due to his respect for the country and the existing historical and professional relations between the two armies.

General Pande lauded the current leadership of the army after he was informed of the force’s improved training system, role in establishing world peace and overall administrative structure.

Before arriving at the headquarters, General Pande paid tribute to the martyrs of Bangladesh’s Liberation War by placing wreaths at Shikha Anirban. He was later given a guard of honor by a smart army contingent at Sena Kunja where he planted a sapling. Later, General Pande paid a courtesy call on Security Adviser to Prime Minister Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Chief of Bangladesh Navy and Chief of Air Force.

In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum while in the evening a banquet and a cultural programme on behalf of the Bangladesh Army Chief were held in honour of General Pande at the Army Multipurpose Complex.

At that time, the delegation of India and senior officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces were present along with their wives. The Indian Army Chief will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today.

Later, he will address students and faculty of Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur.

The Indian delegation is scheduled to return to India on July 21.

General Pande arrived in Dhaka on Sunday at the invitation of General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed. General Pande thanked the Bangladesh Army chief for inviting him.