On 14 April the Pakistan Military Academy saw another glorious passing out and commissioning parade for cadets inducted as officers in the Pakistan Army.
The parade was attended by the President COAS General Pervez Musharraf, which is an honour for the passing out young officers being commissioned under the gaze of their commander and president, who according to many young officers and cadets is a wonderful soldier and commander to look upto and inspires the new and younger breed a lot.
This passing out was of historic significance and also some coincidence.
The batch contained 36 Lady Cadets passing out from the PMA for the first time and gaining commission in Corps other than Medical, which was a first for Pakistani women. As they pass out more women must be arriving for the next course. The cadets also included a higher number of from Balochistan and Sindh as compared to the past.
The intersting coincidene was that in Apr 1964 General Musharraf had passed out with the 29 PMA Long Course along with quite a few legends of the Pakistan Army; Ali Kuli Khan, Shabbir Sharif to name two. This April he was the chief guest as COAS when the 29 PMA Graduate Course passed out.
After the parade, as narrated by a friend at PMA, the General visited the barracks where he used to live. Which if I recall right was the Khalid Coy, 1st Pakistan Battalion.
http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/NewsEventsDetail.aspx?NewsEventID=3636
- "President General Pervez Musharraf said with the country’s armed forces stronger than ever before in conventional and non-conventional fields Pakistan was fully capable of facing any external challenges. “We are capable of facing any external challenges. We are going stronger by every passing day”, he said while addressing the passing out parade of 115 PMA Long Course here at Pakistan Military Academy.
The highlight of the parade was the first-ever passing out of 36 lady cadets under the Ladies Integrated Course-1, with other courses including Technical Course-19, Graduate Course-29 and Integrated Course-34. The President said, “the armed forces of Pakistan have never been so strong as they are today in conventional and non-conventional fields”. He said, Pakistan has no offensive or aggressive designs against any country, but “we guard our integrity, honour and dignity very jealously.” President Musharraf said, “Our arms are guarantee of peace. It is only the strength which guarantees peace and security.” He said, Pakistan believes in getting peace and security through strength and not through weakness because “it is the strength alone that will deter any aggression in future”. “Therefore we have to keep our guard up always”, the President told the young and smart passing out cadets.
The President said the country was passing through a difficult phase with turmoil in the region, which has direct or indirect impact on Pakistan. Pakistan is also a frontline state in the global war against terrorism and “we have been a victim of terror”, he added. Whereas, the President said, internally “we face the menace of religious extremism, fundamentalism and extremism. The armed forces of Pakistan are responsible for the internal and external security of Pakistan from all threats that emanate against it, he added. “You are expected to fight on all fronts and succeed. Failure is no option”, the President remarked and called upon the passing out cadets to develop themselves on the sound footings on the basis of foundation laid by Pakistan Military Academy. He said the real threat facing the country was internal and not external. “It is only the militant extremists who pose this threat.”
The President, however, maintained that tackling these extremists demands prudence and understanding beyond military training, because we will be dealing with our own people, who are misguided. “You as officers of Pakistan Army have to guarantee security of the motherland and must never fail in this duty”, he said. The President said, “it is your success which will allow an unhindered economic growth of Pakistan and the progress and prosperity of the country’s masses”. He urged the passing out cadets to uphold the armed forces’ tradition of professional standards, dedication, commitment and sacrifices while serving in Pakistan Army. The President said with the passing out of first-ever batch of 36 lady cadets other than medical, PMA has added a new chapter in its history. He said the induction of these lady cadets as commissioned officers for the first time in various sections of army other than medical including ISPR, Education and Signals will help ensure women emancipation in various fields according to their potential. The President also noted with pleasure the presence of 51 and 28 in the passing out cadets from Sindh and Balchistan, respectively and said it shows that Pakistan army represents all the provinces.
Earlier, the President reviewed the smartly-turned out parade, in which the passing out cadets paraded in various formations and also presented salute. President Musharraf awarded the Sword of Honour to Usman Memhood (115 Long Course), the President’s Gold Medal to Mubeen Tajammul (115 Long Course), Chief of Army Staff’s Overseas Gold Medal to Mehmoud Talat M Abussamara (115 Long Course), Chief of Army Staff’s Cane to Muhammad Bilal Ijaz (Technical Graduate Course-19), Ahmer Kaleem (Graduate Course-29), The Commandant’s Cane to Muhammad Atif Rauf (Integrated Course-34) and to Wajiha Arshad (Lady Integrated Course-1).
Governor NWFP Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, Commandant PMA Major General Nadeem Taj, senior military officers and parents of the cadets were present on the occasion."*