PM Kakar talks about Kashmir at PAF Graduation Ceremony

By Editor Nov22,2023

The Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan marked a significant milestone on November 21, 2023 as it hosted the Graduation Ceremony for the 148th GD (P), 94th Engineering, 104th Air Defence, and 130th Combat Support Courses. This prestigious event marked the culmination of rigorous training for 131 Aviation Cadets, 8 Gentleman Cadets, and 3 Naval Cadets, who are now ready to embark on their careers as commissioned officers in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

The ceremony was graced by the presence of Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar as the Chief Guest, along with Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force. Upon his arrival, the Chief Guest was warmly received by Air Vice Marshal Ghazanfar Latif, Air Officer Commanding, PAF Academy Asghar Khan.

In his address at the graduation ceremony, Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said peace in the region could not be guaranteed till the resolution of the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir between Pakistan and India. “Let me make it clear that there can be no peace without the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir issue “.PM Kakar said Pakistan was a peace-loving nation and wished to maintain friendly relations with all countries, especially its neighbours.

He, however, categorically stated that the country’s desire for peace “must not be understood as weakness”. The prime minister strongly condemned the ongoing grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Pakistan, he said, would not indulge in any arm race but would continue to enhance its capability in line with evolving technology to deter any aggression. The prime minis­ter highlighted that the rapidly changing geo-strategic environ­ment had a profound impact on Pakistan and rest of the region.

“Therefore, the situation de­mands advancements in space networks, cyber technology, nano technology and artificial in­telligence,” he said. He expressed satisfaction that PAF modernised itself though smart induction of cutting-edge niche technol­ogy and achieved great prog­ress in cyber space and non-con­tact warfare through indigenous means. PM Kakar termed the Armed Forces of Pakistan as pro­fessionally competent and well-trained to cope with all internal and external challenges. “The nation holds our Armed Forc­es in high esteem for the sacri­fices they rendered for national defence and for their contribu­tion towards nation-building,” he said. He mentioned that the country’s brave Armed Forces always showed great courage during testing times to keep the national flag high.

“I assure you that as a na­tion we have surmounted chal­lenges in the past and Insha’Al­lah, we will do so in future and make the country prosperous,” he said. The prime minister con­gratulated the cadets graduated from the colleges of flying train­ing and aeronautical engineer­ing and expressed confidence that they would give their best professional performance with commitment and diligence. “Be­ing the custodians of the PAF, you carry the hopes of this na­tion and must work hard to keep abreast with modern technolo­gy and trends related to modern warfare,” he told the graduates.

The PAF graduates includ­ed 148 General Duty Pilots, 94 Aeronautical Engineers, 104 air defence and 130 of combat support course officers. Earlier, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu received the prime min­ister on the venue. Bugles were blown when PM Kakar as chief guest of the ceremony entered the arena. The prime minis­ter onboard a PAF jeep inspect­ed the formation of the smart­ly turned out contingents of the PAF falcons.

He awarded the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Banner to the Champions No. 3 Squadron on its consistently best perfor­mance in all semesters. The prime minister also pinned badges on the professional­ly distinguished graduating ca­dets.

The Chief of the Air Staff tro­phies for best performance were given to Muhammad Moo­sa Jawad (best pilot), Muham­mad Ali Gohar (general avia­tion), Sajid Sikandar Abbas (air defence), Syed Saad Ali (com­bat support) and Sohaib Saeed (aeronautical engineering).

The Swords of Honour were awarded to Aviation Cadets Ahmed Malik (flying) and Sohaib Saeed (engineering). The prime minister witnessed a thrilling fly-past of the formations of PAF jets including Mirage, F-7P, JF-17 Thunder and J-10C.

November 22, 2023

Source: The Nation

By Editor

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