–Air MSHL PK Roy (Retd)
Continuing with the excellent tradition of strong bilateral and defence ties between India and Bangladesh, General MM Naravane, Chief of the Army Staff visited Bangladesh recently. This visit comes in the midst of Swarnim Vijay Varsh celebrations which mark 50 years of the liberation of Bangladesh, made possible by the historic leadership of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and heroics of the Mukti Bahini which fought shoulder to shoulder with Indian Armed Forces.
During the visit, General Naravane visited the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum which signifies the life and struggle of Bangabandhu. The Army Chief also paid tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War by laying a wreath at the Shikha Anirban.
This was followed by one-to-one meetings with the three Service Chiefs of the Bangladesh’s Armed Forces.
General MM Naravane also interacted with the Force Commanders of the United Nations Missions in Mali, South Sudan and Central African Republic and the Deputy Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Bhutanese Army.
He also attended the closing ceremony of Exercise ‘Shantir Ogrosena’, a multilateral UN-mandated counter terrorism exercise comprising the Armed Forces of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka along with observers from the US, UK, Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia among others and addressed the participants of the exercise. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was the Chief Guest of the ceremony.
