NEW DELHI: India and Nepal have revived their apex-level Army-to-Army ties after a hiatus of four years with the arrival of Nepalese Army Chief General Rookmangud Katuwal on a week-long visit.

India had discouraged its Army chiefs from visiting Kathmandu after the King of Nepal opted to have direct rule pitting the Army against almost all mainstream political parties.

Gen. Katuwal, who arrived here on Sunday, will be awarded the “honorary Chief of the Army Staff” status by President Pratibha Patil later this week. The Indo-Nepalese tradition of honouring each other’s newly appointed Chief of the Army Staff was provisionally suspended when New Delhi discouraged the previous Chief, Gen. J. J. Singh, from visiting Kathmandu to receive the sword from King Birendra, also the supreme commander-in-chief of the Nepal Army.

The last Indian Army Chief to be invested with the title of honorary chief of the Nepal Army was Gen. N. C. Vij in 2003.

From Nepal, Gen. Pyar Jung Thapa was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army by the then President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam a year earlier.

Even this invitation to Gen. Katuwal, received by Nepal last month, was delayed, as he took over as the Chief of the Staff of Nepal Army over a year ago. India’s unannounced suspension of the tradition symbolising close ties between the Armies was taken to discourage any impression of New Delhi meddling in Nepal’s domestic politics. The Nepal Army, under Gen. Thapa then, was seen for a brief period to be siding with the King to quell the pro-democracy movement.

Reversal of stand

Officially at least, India claimed to have stopped the flow of lethal arms to the Nepal Army, which critics said were being used against civilian protesters.

This was a reversal of the previous stance where Indian Army chiefs, on being conferred the title of honorary chief of staff of Nepal Army, would assure all assistance to check cross border activities of Nepalese Maoist activists, supply of arms, armoured vehicles, helicopters and training of the Nepalese Army troops.

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