Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth Set To Visit Nepal On First Foreign Trip, Expected To Meet Top Leadership

Kathmandu, August 16, 2026

Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth will be arriving in Kathmandu today at around 4 pm for a five-day official visit to Nepal, marking his first foreign visit after assuming the position of Chief of the Army Staff and the first high-level Indian military visit since Prime Minister Balendra Shah took office.

General Seth took charge as the 31st Chief of the Army Staff of India on June 30, 2026, succeeding General Upendra Dwivedi. Before becoming Army Chief, Seth served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

The visit comes as Nepal and India continue their long-standing military cooperation, including the tradition of conferring honorary general ranks on each other’s serving Army Chiefs.

Who Is General Dhiraj Seth?

General Dhiraj Seth is a senior Indian Army officer with nearly four decades of military experience.

He was commissioned into the Indian Army’s Armoured Corps in December 1986 after graduating from the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla. During his career, he has held several important operational and command positions, including commanding an armoured regiment, an armoured brigade and a counter-insurgency force in Jammu and Kashmir.

As a Lieutenant General, Seth also commanded the Sudarshan Chakra Corps, one of India’s major operational formations. He later served as General Officer Commanding of Delhi Area and commanded both South Western Command and Southern Command before becoming Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

Meetings With Nepal’s Leadership

During his Nepal visit, General Seth is expected to hold discussions with senior Nepali officials, including:

• Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who also holds the defence portfolio

• Nepal Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel

The discussions are expected to focus on Nepal-India military relations, defence cooperation, training, humanitarian assistance and other areas of mutual interest.

The detailed official schedule of the visit has not been fully released by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Nepal Army.

Honorary General Tradition Between Nepal And India

One of the key highlights of the visit is the long-standing tradition between Nepal and India of awarding honorary General ranks to each other’s Army Chiefs.

The tradition began in 1950 and has continued as a symbol of the close military relationship between the two countries.

Under this tradition, Nepal confers the honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army on the serving Chief of the Indian Army, while India confers the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army on the Chief of the Nepal Army.

General Seth is expected to be conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepal Army by President Ram Chandra Paudel during a ceremony at Sheetal Niwas on Monday, following the long-standing tradition between Nepal and India.

Nepal Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel received the honorary rank of General of the Indian Army from Indian President Droupadi Murmu during a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in December 2024.

Nepal-India Military Relations

Nepal and India share one of South Asia’s oldest defence relationships, shaped by historical, geographical and people-to-people connections.

The two countries regularly conduct:

• Joint military exercises

• Training exchanges

• High-level defence visits

• Disaster response cooperation

• Security discussions

Military cooperation has remained an important part of bilateral relations, even during periods of political differences between the two neighbours.

General Seth’s Nepal visit carries significance as it represents an early diplomatic and military engagement between the new leadership in Kathmandu and India’s newly appointed Army Chief.

For Nepal, maintaining balanced and cooperative relations with neighbouring countries remains a key foreign policy priority, while for India, Nepal remains an important partner due to geographic proximity, security concerns and historical military ties.

The visit is expected to further strengthen communication between the two armies and reinforce existing defence cooperation.