The government has upgraded the status of naval and air force chiefs from vice-admiral and air marshal to admiral and air chief marshal respectively in order to make the rank parallel to army chief.

To this effect, Navy chief Vice-Admiral M Farid Habib and air chief Air Marshal Abu Esrar were adorned with the rank badges of admiral and air chief marshal respectively in presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Security adviser to the PM Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique and acting army chief Lt Gen Anwar Hussain adorned the rank badges at the Prime Ministers' Office (PMO).

Air chief Air Marshal Abu Esrar was adorned with the rank badge of air chief marshal in presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office on January 17, 2016. Photo: ISPR

PM's Political Adviser HT Imam, Senior Secretary to the defense ministry Kazi Habibul Awal, Principal Staff Officer to the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen Md Mainul Islam and senior PMO officials were present on the occasion.

Guard of honour was given to both the naval and air chiefs when they returned to their forces' headquarters. Both the chiefs also received salute from the personnel of the two forces, an ISPR press release said. 

Earlier on September 7, the government upgraded the ranks of air and navy chiefs to the rank of the army chief.

Now salary of the chiefs of three services would be Tk 86,000 (fixed), which is equal to the salary of the cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the PMO.

Prior to the decision, the ranks of navy and air chiefs were equivalent to the rank of a lieutenant general in the army.