Indian Army chief General Dhiraj Seth and his wife, Komal Seth, returned home on Tuesday after completing a four-day official visit to Nepal at the invitation of Nepali Army chief  General Ashok Raj Sigdel.

They were seen off at Tribhuvan International Airport by Lieutenant General Pradip Jung KC and his wife.

During the visit, President Ramchandra Paudel conferred on Seth the honorary rank of general of the Nepali Army. Seth also held separate courtesy meetings with President Paudel, Prime Minister Balendra Shah and General Sigdel.

Seth arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday for the visit at Sigdel’s invitation. Prime Minister Shah, who also holds the defence portfolio, received Seth at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Monday. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava also attended the meeting.

The visit came as Nepal and India continued 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 regarded as a symbol of the close cultural, religious, historical and military ties between the two countries. Under the tradition, the Nepali Army chief receives the honorary rank of general of the Indian Army, while the Indian Army chief is conferred the honorary rank of general of the Nepali Army.