Training Slots for SL Army Officers in Pakistan Increased, Confirms Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff-Commander

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani who during the weekend concluded  a goodwill  visit to Sri Lanka to attend the Passing out Parade (PoP) at Diyatalawa has  formally confirmed Pakistan Army’s decision to increase the number of training slots, allocated for Sri Lanka Army officers and soldiers in their training institutes, such as the National Defence College (NDC), Pakistan Army Command and Staff College and Physical Training School, so said the Commander of the Army General Jagath Jayasuriya Tuesday (2) morning during his address to the troops at Wanni Security Force Headquarters, Vavuniya.

“In response to a personal request, made by me for increase of such training programmes to General Kayani, the Sri Lanka Army would be able to send more officers and soldiers to undergo such training in Pakistan while further expanding training opportunities in other foreign destinations. With various other battalion level training sessions and programmes, all efforts were made to infuse required professionalism into the organization as never before and all those undertaking such training should follow them to completion to get best results, thereby promoting the image of the organization,” the Commander underlined.

With the directions of the government and the Ministry of Defence, projects are on to provide necessary decent billets, dormitories and all administrative and logistic buildings for those serving in different field formations with a view to improving facilities being provided to those ground troops. “When I was the Wanni Commander, establishment of the new Wanni Headquarters acquiring needed land was mooted and I am glad to see that it has now become a reality with more permanent  units adding to the complex and more welfare projects of this nature are in progress, considering ground requirements,” he added.

Despite the fact that Army resources are now restricted unlike during humanitarian operations, our own initiatives resulted in the establishment of wellness resorts, “Abimansala” both at Anuradhapura and Kamburupitiya areas, which are fully functional rehabilitating and curing totally disable War Heroes, resident there.  We were impressed to see some of those disable soldiers who remained mostly bed-ridden and unable to walk are now able to move about with the help of crutches and other walking tools after a span of just two years. “ These are welfare measures that one can be happy and the Pangolla one under construction  will again treat one more batch from the North Western Province, ” he added.

He also during the address mentioned diverse Seva Vanitha Branch  welfare projects that have been executed with the support of regiment Seva Vanitha units for the betterment of the living conditions of serving soldiers, family members of fallen ones and others turned disable during fighting. Thanking all of them for the cooperation extended to him in the past four years, he appealed them to support his next successor too to make the Army a better one. Reminding them that every Army soldier, unlike in any other vocation, knew on the very first day of his enlistment about his exact day of retirement from service, he appealed them to promote their professionalism within that period since everyone had to leave the Army some day after serving the exact number of years with no extensions given, the Commander pointed out.

Major General Boniface Perera, Security Force Commander-Wanni welcomed the visiting Commander  to the SFHQ-Wanni which was the forte of the incumbent Commander before he took over as the Army Chief in July 2009.