Southern Commander of Indian Army Here on Goodwill Visit Meets Army Commander

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command of the Indian Army, Lieutenant General P.M Hariz PVSM AVSM SM VSM ADC, now in Sri Lanka on a four-day goodwill tour called on the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake Thursday (17) morning at the Army Headquarters.

Major General Priyantha Jayasundera, Military Secretary at the entrance to the Commander’s Secretariat warmly welcomed the visiting General Officer Commanding of the Southern Command before he accompanied him to the Commander’s office.

The friendly and bilaterally important meeting that ensued at the Commander’s office between Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake and the visiting Indian Southern Commander focused largely on further enhancement of military training cooperation between both organizations.

Lieutenant General P.M Hariz during the meet pledged that the Indian Army would like to send more and more of their Army officers to receive training with Commandos, Special Forces of the Sri Lankan Army and also in other training institutes, such as the Defence Service Command and Staff College (DSCSC), Infantry Training Schools, etc. He also spoke high of the experiences that the Sri Lanka Army has gained in the recent past years and how those experiences were shared.

Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake gratefully recalled the support, provided by the Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Indian Army during the time the Sri Lankan Army was raising its own Mechanized Infantry Brigade during the conversion process several years ago.

Lieutenant General Senanayake also thanked the Indian Army for facilitation of more and more middle-grade Sri Lankan Officers for different training modules in Indian military establishments. Hardly any Officer remains not benefitted by training in India, the Commander remarked.

Towards the end of the cordial interaction, Lieutenant General Senanayake presented a memento to the visiting Lieutenant General P.M Hariz and accompanying Major General V.K Singh, VSM MGGS (Operations), Headquarters Southern Command and Colonel S Kaushal, Military Assistant to the Southern Commander. The visiting delegation reciprocated the gestures.

Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake before the visitor’s exit invited the Southern Commander of the Indian Army to leave his compliments in the VIP book at the Commander’s office as symbolic memories of his visit to the Army Headquarters.

Later on, Lieutenant General P.M Hariz and the delegation Thursday (17) afternoon drove to Battaramulla and saluted the memory of fallen Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) troops, Jawans during a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the IPKF monument at Battaramulla.

A separate parallel itinerary for the spouses in the delegation also enabled those ladies to visit several places of tourist interest in Colombo.

The visiting delegation, comprised of Lieutenant General P.M Hariz and his spouse, Mrs Zarina Hariz, Major General V.K Singh and his spouse, Mrs Mona Singh, Colonel S Kaushal, Military Assistant to the Southern Commander and his spouse, Mrs Jyotsna Kaushal are scheduled to call on the State Minister of Defence, Secretary of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, Commander of the Eastern Naval Area, Commander, Security Forces - East and Commander, Security Forces - Jaffna during their four-day stay in Sri Lanka.

The Southern Commander of the Indian Army, Lieutenant General PM Hariz, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC, took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Army’s Southern Command on 01 Sep 2016. Prior to the current appointment, he was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command at Shimla.

Lieutenant General PM Hariz hails from Kozikode in Kerala and had his schooling in Sainik School, Amravatinagar, Tamil Nadu. The full-fledged soldier is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune.

On completion of basic training from the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun in 1978, he was commissioned into 16 MAHAR, a Mechanized Infantry Battalion, and later commanded 19 Mechanized Infantry Battalion (Reconnaissance and Support).

He has attended all mandatory Army courses, the prestigious Staff Course at Camberly (UK), Higher Command Course at Mhow and National Defence College in Delhi.

The Officer has the vast experience of serving in prestigious staff and command appointments. He has the unique distinction of holding various UN appointments, which include a combined tenure as Military observer, Chief Personal Office and Regional Commander in Angola.

The General Officer Commanding was an instructor at the Infantry School, Mhow and also at the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He has commanded a Battalion, Brigade, Division and a Sub Area and has served staff appointments at various levels at the Integrated Headquarters (Army) in Delhi. He is a recipient of Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Sena Medal (SM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).