A 21 member’s delegation of the National Defence University (NDU) Pakistan, headed by Major General Noel Israel Khokhar, HI(M) will be arriving in Sri Lanka tomorrow (21, April, 2014) on a weeklong visit.

The visit aims to gain overview of the defence, economic, domestic and foreign policies of Sri Lanka. It will also help in exploring areas of mutual interest for enhancing mutual cooperation in various spheres.

The delegation comprises of senior officers from Pakistan’s Armed Forces, Civil Services and Officers from Turkey and Bangladesh, who are undergoing National Security and War Course at NDU. The Defence Advisor of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Colonel Sheharyar Parvez Butt is conducting the visit.

The delegation will interact with a number of prominent officials from the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and civil institutions including Secretary Defence, Secretary External Affairs Ministry, Chief of Defence Staff, Commanders of Army, Air Force and Navy, hierarchy at Central Bank and Lakshman Kadrigamer Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS). During the course of their stay in Sri Lanka, the delegation will visit Jaffna, Trincomalee and Kandy.

The National Defence University (NDU) is a 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. It also acts as a national think tank.

‘The National Security and War Course’ at NDU covers essentials of both National Defence Course and Armed Forces War Course. The two courses, now being combined, bring 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 its Armed Forces have been regularly attending courses at the National Defence University since 1993.