President Ramchandra Paudel has conferred the rank insignia on the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (CoAS),General Ashok Raj Sigdel. CoAS Sigdel took the oath of office and secrecy at a special ceremony held at the President's Office, Shital Niwas.

Sigdel is the 45th CoAS of the Nepal Army, the country's main security force. He will formally assume the office for a three-year term from September 9.

The special ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker and Chairman of the National Assembly.

President Paudel has appointed Sigdel as the Chief of Army Staff in accordance with Article 267 of the Constitution of Nepal, according to a statement issued by the President's Office.

According to the statement, Sigdel, who has been performing the duties of the Acting Chief of Staff of the Nepal Army, has been appointed as the Chief of Army Staff with effect from September 09.

As per the over two centuries old tradition, Lt. Gen. Ashokraj Sigdel, who is the senior most in Nepal Army, has been given the responsibility of COAS of Nepal Army.

Sigdel also performed a puja at Nishan Bhagawati Temple at the Army Headquarters. A contingent of the Nepal Army presented a guard of honor to the new CoAS General Sigdel. He also addressed a program attended by generals.

With the appointment of the new CoAS, the three-year tenure of former CoAS Prabhu Ram Sharma came to an end. .

As the oldest institution of Nepal, established for the unification of Nepal, it is always a lifelong aspiration of the Nepal Army Cadet to head the institution. This time, General Sigdel takes over the responsibility.

In a press conference held recently, Nepal Army spokesman Gaurav Kumar KC said that there was no difference in age, certificate number and date of issue between the citizenship certificate that Sigdel first obtained from the District Administration Office, Rupandehi and the "first copy" that was taken later.

He said there was no difference in the date of birth between the SLC certificate submitted by General Sigdel when he joined the Nepal Army and the certificate issued by the then Suping Multipurpose Campus (now Sainik Residential College).

This opens the door for General Sigdel to become the 45th Commander-in-Chief of the Nepal Army.

Who is Sigdel?

Born in Bhairawa, Rupandehi District, General Sigdel joined the Nepal Army 37 years ago. He has completed postgraduate studies in strategic studies from Tribhuvan University and National Defense University of China.

A graduate of the Army Command and Staff College, he has headed the War Operations Department and the Directorate General of Order, Policy and Planning of Jangi Adda.

General Sigdel, who has also served as military secretary to the commander-in-chief, has also worked at the command level of the Covid-19 Crisis Management Center.