Nation’s faith in armed forces is our asset: Gen Raheel

Says armed forces will always come up to nation’s expectations

RAWALPINDI: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif, on Monday said the unflinching faith of the entire nation in the armed forces was their real asset and they will Inshallah always come up to the nation’s expectations.

The general visited the training area near Pabbi and witnessed the conclusion ceremony of the Pakistan Army Team Spirit (PATS) competition.

He said confronted with multifarious challenges in diverse terrain, the Pakistan Army had to be in the best physical and mental shape for a robust and prompt response. “Add to this the spirit of sacrifice and patriotism; it makes us the most formidable force in the face of any adversity.” He especially thanked all foreign guests all foreign guests and Sri Lankan troops for being part of the event and for showing their prowess.

The team spirit matches were held in mountainous terrain near Mangla from Mar 31 to April 4, an ISPR news release stated. Apart from teams from all the corps of Pakistan Army, the Sri Lankan Army team also participated in the competition.

A total of 16 officers from six countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and Maldives, also attended the competition as observers. The competition was aimed at testing survival skills and physical endurance spread over 72 hours which included 23 field events.

A very intense set of physical activities in the shortest time test the physical limits of the participants. The COAS awarded medals and prizes to the winners. Mangla Corps team won gold medal being winner of the championship while Southern Command and Sri Lankan team shared the silver medal. Earlier on arrival in the training area, the COAS was received by the Inspector General Training and Evaluation Lt. Gen Javed Qamar Bajwa.