Sunday’s Retreat ceremony was opened to the public for the first time after the September 28 surgical strikes by the Indian Army across the Line of Control. ANI

New Delhi, October 2

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade next year. This was announced by External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup here today.In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mohamed bin Zayed expressed “thanks for the kind invitation”.The visit of Al Nahyan, who is also Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, is expected to boost bilateral ties in key areas of trade and security. Significantly, the UAE is a close ally of Pakistan, whom India is trying to diplomatically isolate over cross-border terrorism. — PTI