COAS lauds courage of troops participating in ongoing fight against terror

Army upholds soldierly attributes of courage, mutual cooperation, resilience and competence, says Gen Asim Munir

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on Saturday said that Pakistan Army upholds soldierly attributes of courage, mutual cooperation, resilience and competence which have been displayed during our ongoing fight against terrorism, the military said in a statement.

He expressed these remarks during the 60 hours long arduous and rigorous 6th International Pakistan Army Team Spirit (PATS) Competition which was concluded at National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) Pabbi with an impressive closing ceremony. The army chief graced the occasion as the chief guest.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), seven Pakistan Army teams, Pakistan Navy and 10 international teams including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Jordan, the United States, Iraq, Kazakhstan and Qatar participated in the competition.

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It said that teams from Azerbaijan, Canada, Gambia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Maldives, Senegal, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom participated as observers.

The competition continued day and night from March 7-9 in the mountainous and rugged terrain of Pabbi. Over the years, the competition has gained much popularity and has become an international team spirit evaluation event.

While addressing the ceremony, the army chief appreciated the participating teams for their professionalism, endurance and high morale displayed during various stages of the exercise.

The COAS reiterated, “as a training exercise, PATS appropriately replicates the degree of emphasis given by all armies on physical fitness, combat skills and teamwork of their troops in the face of evolving character of warfare.

“To this end, Pakistan Army upholds soldierly attributes of courage, mutual cooperation, resilience and competence which have been displayed during our ongoing fight against terrorism."

Gen Asim Munir also gave away prizes and medals to the participants of the competition. International observers and Defence Attaches of participating countries also attended the ceremony.