Visiting Indian Army chief General Dhiraj Seth paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Balendra Shah at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Kathmandu on Monday.

Shah, who also holds the defence portfolio, received Seth during his four-day visit to Nepal. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava also attended the meeting.

Seth arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday for a four-day visit at the invitation of Nepali Army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel.

His visit comes as Nepal and India continue a longstanding military tradition under which the army chiefs of the two countries are awarded the honorary rank of general in each other’s armies.

The practice dates back to 1950 and is seen as a symbol of the close cultural, religious, historical and military ties between the two countries.

Under the tradition, the Nepali Army chief is conferred the honorary rank of general of the Indian Army, while the Indian Army chief receives the honorary rank of general of the Nepali Army.