Pakistan delegation here

A 19 member delegation from the National Defence University (NDU), Pakistan is visiting Sri Lanka. The delegation comprises senior officers from Pakistan’s Armed Forces and Civil Services, and officers from USA, UAE and China, who are undergoing National Security and War Course at NDU.

The delegation is led by Commodore Asif Saleem, SI(M). The Pakistan Defence Advisor to Sri Lanka Colonel Sheharyar Parvez Butt is conducting the visit for the delegation.

The one week visit which started on April 7 aims to enable the delegates to develop comprehensive understanding 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.

During the visit, the delegation will interact with a number of prominent personalities from the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and civil institutions including Chief of Defence Staff, Governor Central Bank, Commanders of Army, Air Force, Navy and Secretary Defence.

The NDU is the premier institution of Pakistan, catering for the needs of senior leadership from various segments of 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 acts as a national think tank.

The National Security and War Course at NDU covers essentials of both national and military policy and strategy. The course brings rich experience of participants from divergent backgrounds and countries to add value to the process of learning in addition to creating increased interaction and understanding.

Friendly countries nominate officers from different services background for the programme.

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-governmental and international environment.

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