Pakistan National Defence University Delegation visits Sri Lanka

A 19-member delegation from the National Defence University (NDU) Pakistan led by Lt. Gen. Nazir Ahmed Butt, HI (M) is currently visiting Sri Lanka.

The Delegation comprises of senior officers from Pakistan’s Armed Forces and Civil Services as well as Officers from Turkey, Iran, Nigeria and Sudan who are undergoing National Security and War Course at NDU. The Defence Advisor of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Colonel Rajil Irshad Khan is conducting the visit for the delegation.

The five-day visit which started on 24 April aims to gain overview of the defence, economic, domestic and foreign policies of Sri Lanka and to explore areas of mutual interest for enhancing mutual cooperation in various spheres. 

The delegation visited the High Commission of Pakistan for an interaction session on 25 April 2015. The High Commissioner of Pakistan Maj. Gen. (R) Syed Shakeel Hussain briefed the delegates about Pakistan-Sri Lanka bilateral relations and the role of the High Commission. 

During the visit the delegates will be also meeting with a number of prominent personalities from Sri Lankan Armed Forces and civil Institutions including Chief of Defence Staff, Governor Central Bank, Commanders of Sri Lankan Air Force and Navy. The delegates will also be visiting Galle and Trincomalee.

The National Defense University (NDU) is the premier institution of Pakistan, catering for the needs of senior leadership from various segments of the society, both domestic and international, in comprehending security issues and policy/strategy formulation. 

The NDU is a centre of excellence in academic and research pursuits in diversified disciplines providing well thought out inputs on national security at strategic level. The University imparts higher education in policy and strategy formulation at various tiers with emphasis on national security and defence, and act as a national think tank.

The National Security and War Course at NDU covers essentials of both National Defence Course and Armed Forces War Courses. The courses, now being combined, bring rich experience of participants from divergent backgrounds to add value to the process of learning in addition to creating increased interaction and understanding.

Friendly countries nominate officers from different services background including the civilian officers for the program. The graduates of the course are assigned higher command and staff appointments dealing with national security as well as military and operational strategies in a joint, inter-governmental and international environment.

Several Senior Sri Lankan Officers from Armed forces have been attending courses at the National Defence University annually since 1993.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka being located in the South Asian region and being members of various regional and international bodies like UN, Commonwealth, NAM and SAARC are mutually important for each other. The relationship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is based on mutual trust and commonality of interest in maintaining regional peace, security and stability. Pakistan has always supported the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. Both countries have shared common perceptions on almost all regional and international issue and are working together on all these forums for shared values and interests.

The High Commissioner also hosted a reception in honour of the delegation previous night. Mementos were also exchanged on the occasion.