ISLAMABAD - Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that spirit of sacrifice, patriotism and professionalism makes a force formidable in adversity.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) directorate, General Qamar Javed Bajwa said this during his visit to the training area near Kharian to witness closing ceremony of the Intl Pak Army Team Spirit competition.
Speaking on the occasion, the army chief said that such exercises would also help integrate armies of the countries participating. He thanked all the foreign participants for being part of the Intl Pak Army Team Spirit competition held at Kharian.
The PATS competition was aimed at testing survival skills and physical limits of the participants. The Army Chief emphasized that training and team work are the hallmark of every soldier, and one has to be in the best physical and mental fitness for a robust and prompt response.
He said that sharing of best experiences through series of events will help improve combating skills and integrate armies of participant countries. The Army Chief also distributed prizes among the winners and runners-up.
Apart from the Pak Army and PAF, teams from 16 foreign countries participated in the event and showcased their prowess. These countries included Belarus, China, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Palestine, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uzbekistan.
In the competition, Karachi Corps was declared the overall best team; Multan Corps runner-up while Rawalpindi Corps remained third.
Turkey clinched gold medal in the international teams while Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and South Africa teams were awarded silver medal. Pakistan Air Force got bronze medal.
Commanders Gujranwala and Mangla Corps, senior military officials from Pak Army, PAF and defence attaches of various countries were present on the occasion.
It is to be mentioned here that the National Counter-Terrorism Centre in Kharian being state-of-the-art facility with 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.