Best experience sharing to improve combat skills: COAS Bajwa

RAWALPINDI -Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Wednesday said that sharing of best experiences through series of events would improve combat skills and help integrate armies of participant countries.

He visited the training area near Kharian to witness the concluding ceremony of International Pakistan Army Team Spirit (PATS) competition.

Speaking on the occasion, the COAS congratulated the participants for successful completion of the event, an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said.

He said: “Training and teamwork are the hallmarks of every soldier. Confronted with multifarious challenges in diverse terrain, one has to be in the best physical and mental fitness for a robust and prompt response.”

The COAS said the spirit of sacrifice and patriotism did make a force formidable in the face of any adversity. He thanked all foreign participants for being part of the event and for showing their prowess.

He also distributed the medals and prizes among the winners and runner ups. Karachi Corps was declared overall best team, Multan Corps runner up while Rawalpindi Corps remained 3rd.

Turkey clinched gold medal in International teams while KSA, Sri Lanka and South Africa team were awarded silver medals. Pakistan Air Force got the bronze medal.

Being one of the toughest military competitions, PATS was aimed at testing the survival skills and physical limits of the participants.

The PATS competition comprised of 25 field events to be participated in a short period of time, spread over 62 hours.

Apart from teams from Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), 16 foreign countries including Belarus, China, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, KSA, the Maldives, Palestine, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA and Uzbekistan participated in the event, conducted from March 1 to 3, in challenging terrain at National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and surrounding areas.

Commander Mangla and Gujranwala Corps, senior military officials from Pakistan Army, PAF and defence attaches from various countries were present on the occasion.

It is pertinent to mention that the NCTC being the state-of-the-art facility with a large capacity to impart quality training to combating terrorism, in all kinds of terrain has been recognized as a world-class training facility attracting other armies for training with Pakistan Army.