COAS witnesses final of Young Soldiers Inter Central PACES Championship

RAWALPINDI: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Tuesday visited Abbottabad to witness the final of 5th COAS Young Soldiers Inter Central PACES (Physical Agility and Combat Efficiency System) Championship at the Baloch Regimental Centre.

The army chief also visited the Engineers Centre, Risalpur, and pinned badges of rank at a ceremony. According to  ISPR, General Bajwal witnessed the final of 5th COAS Young Soldiers Inter Central PACES Championship at Baloch Regimental Centre, Abbottabad, and awarded prizes to the winners. A total of 532 contestants from 23 regimental centres participated in the event. The Engineer Centre team won the Army PACES Championship while the Baloch Centre team won the second position in the competition. Sapper Sanatullah won the overall best player award of the competition by securing 2,798 marks and Sepoy Muhammad Adil secured overall second position by securing 2,785 marks. 

In individual matches, Sepoy Muhammad Rizwan Abbas secured first position in 3.2 kilometres run by covering distance in 10.7 minutes. Sepoy Muhammad Yaqoob did 102 pull ups to clinch first position in pull ups match. Sapper Majid Ali secured first position in sit up match by doing 1,131 sit ups. Sepoy Muhammad Adil did 1,457 push ups to secure first position and Recruit Muhammad Asees Iqbal won first position by completing combat efficiency test in 49.22 seconds and breaking the previous international Chinese record of 50.07 seconds.

Speaking on the occasion, the COAS appreciated participants of the competition and trainers for achieving very high standards of physical fitness and professionalism. The COAS said that Pakistan Army is the most battle hardened Army in the world and it is primarily due to highest standard of physical fitness, professionalism and motivation of our officers and men who face the challenges dauntlessly.

Earlier, on arrival in Abbottabad, the COAS was received by Inspector General Training and Evaluation (IGT&E) Lieutenant General Hidayatur Rehman and Lieutenant General Nadeem Raza, Commander 10 Corps. 

General Bajwa also visited Engineers Centre Risalpur and installed Lieutenant General Javed Mahmood Bukhari as Colonel Commandant of Corps of Engineers. He pinned the badges of rank at the ceremony. Lt Gen Javed Mahmood Bukhari has the honour to be the sword of honour of his PMA course awarded to the best cadet and has extraordinary record of service and contributions to the service. He has served as brigade commander as well as GOC Swat. A large number of serving and retired officers attended the ceremony.

While talking to the audience, the COAS praised contributions of Engineers Corps towards nation building, natural calamities and operations. He said Engineers Corps of Pakistan Army has much to take pride in their contributions towards defence and development of the motherland.