Indian Army chief General Dhiraj Seth is arriving in Kathmandu on Sunday to receive the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army, although it is unclear whether he will meet Prime Minister Balendra Shah.

Nepal and India share a unique tradition under which the chief of the army of one country is accorded the honorary rank of general in the other. Indian Army chiefs visiting Nepal to receive the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army from the President have traditionally paid a courtesy call on the serving prime minister.

However, it remains unclear whether the tradition will continue this time, even hours before he arrives in Kathmandu. The Nepali Army leadership has already informed the Indian side that Shah and Seth will meet. “It is still not confirmed if General Seth will call on the prime minister,” an aide to Shah told the Post. “If there is a change in the plan, it will be communicated accordingly.”

The Indian side, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had sought a meeting between the prime minister and General Seth, which was later sent to the Ministry of Defence and Nepali Army headquarters to manage the time.

Prime Minister Shah has maintained strict diplomatic protocol when meeting foreign diplomats and officials.

After four months in office, the prime minister only last week met separately with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors.

General Seth is visiting Nepal at the invitation of Chief of the Army Staff General Ashok Sigdel to receive the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army. Under the longstanding tradition between the two armies, President Ramchandra Paudel will confer the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army on Seth on Monday. Seth will also attend other events organised by the Nepali Army.

“Whenever a new army chief assumes office in either country, there is a tradition of exchanging high-level visits during which both chiefs are conferred with the honorary rank of General,” said Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet, spokesperson for the Nepali Army.

“I can confirm that General Seth is arriving in Kathmandu on Sunday and is going to receive the honorary rank of general from the President on Monday,” said Basnet. “The rest of his itinerary is dealt with by the Indian side.”

General Seth will be the first senior Indian official to visit Nepal since the formation of the Balendra Shah government on March 27. Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri had earlier been scheduled to visit Kathmandu, but the trip was postponed due to protocol-related reasons.

Sigdel was conferred with the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army by Indian President Droupadi Murmu in December 2024.

Some Indian media outlets suggested that during the visit, General Seth might raise the issue of stalled Agnipath recruitment in his meeting with Nepali officials. Recently, some former ex-Indian Gurkhas and youths staged rallies in Kaski and Lamjung districts demanding the resumption of Agnipath recruitment for Nepali youths.

In 2022, the Indian government revised the recruitment process in its army and announced the Agnipath scheme, under which personnel below officer ranks—soldiers, airmen and sailors who are not commissioned officers—are recruited for a period of four years. Nepal has not allowed its youths to be recruited into the Indian Army under the scheme. Under the scheme, only 25 percent of those recruited can continue in service, while the remaining 75 percent retire and receive a one-time gratuity.