Islamabad—An 18-member delegation from the National Defense University (NDU), during their visit to Sri Lanka, have interacted with a number of prominent personalities from the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and civil institutions. The delegates met with Chief of Defense Staff, Acting Governor Central Bank, Commanders of Sri Lankan Air Force and Navy and Foreign Secretary. The delegates would also be visiting Jaffna, Trincomalee and Central Province of Sri Lanka. The delegation, currently visiting Sri Lanka, comprises of senior officers from Pakistan’s Armed Forces and civil services as well as officers from Malaysia, Germany, Turkey and Nigeria who are undergoing National Security and War Course at the NDU.

Brig Akhtar Jammil Rao leads the delegation. The Defense Advisor of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Colonel Sheryar Pervaiz Butt is conducting the visit for the delegation, says a press release received here on Thursday. The one-week visit, which started on April 16, aims to gain overview of the defense, economic, domestic and foreign policies of Sri Lanka and to explore areas of mutual interest for enhancing mutual cooperation in various spheres. The Sri Lankan Chapter of Pakistan’s National Defense University Alumni Association was launched last month in Colombo during the visit of Pakistan’s Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Khalid Shameem Wynne, NI (M).

The 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 researchpursuits 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 defense, and act as a national think tank. ‘The National Securityand War Course’ at NDU covers essentials of both National Defense 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.