From April 27 to April 29, 2023, Bangladesh’s Chief of Army Staff, General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, travelled to India for three days. He is engaging with key military and civilian figures in India during the tour to discuss ways to strengthen defence ties between India and Bangladesh. In the 1971 Liberation War, India and Bangladesh worked together and supported one another.
The active involvement on the defence side includes tri-services and service-specific staff talks, high-level discussions at the level of Service Chiefs, and the conduct of the first Annual Defence Dialogues by the Defence Secretaries. Every year in December, in conjunction with the Victory Day festivities in Dhaka and Kolkata, exchange visits between Mukti Jodhas from Bangladesh and war veterans from India are held.
On the evening of April 26, 2023, General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed spoke with General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff.
The head of the Bangladesh Army began his tour by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in honour of the Indian Armed Forces’ fallen soldiers. The Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande, received a guard of honour when the visiting General arrived at the South Block Lawns. As part of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, the Army Chiefs reviewed a range of subjects relating to improving and strengthening interoperability, training, anti-terrorism cooperation, and overall bilateral cooperation.
Later, General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed met with the Defence Secretary, the Foreign Secretary, Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, Air Marshal AP Singh, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Defence Staff, and General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed. The Department of Defence Production (DDP) and the Army Design Bureau also gave him a briefing on the indigenous defence equipment manufacturing eco-system in India. During the visit, a ”Implementing Arrangement” for UN Peacekeeping Operations and Training Cooperation between Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training (BIPSOT), Bangladesh, and Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK), India was inked.
The passing out parade at Chennai’s Officers Training Academy has been scheduled for April 29, 2023, with the visiting Bangladesh Army Chief serving as the reviewing officer. He will interact with the cadets of passing out course and and tour the museum of the Officers Training Academy.
