JHELUM (The Thursday Times) — Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, said on Wednesday that shooting skill is the mark of a professional soldier and that mastery of small arms must stay at the heart of basic military training.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 46th Pakistan Army Rifle Association (PARA) Central Meet at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Jhelum, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said in a statement.
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, attended as guest of honour, and the two chiefs presented trophies and medals to the winners and runners-up.
More than 1,500 shooters
The meet ran from October 7 to November 11 and drew more than 1,500 shooters from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the civil armed forces, including the Rangers in Sindh and Punjab and the Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts, and teams from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the Federal Rifle Association, along with civilian competitors.
The Pakistan Army won the 4th Inter-Services Combat Shooting Championship, and the Army Marksmanship Unit took the Prime Minister’s “Skills at Arms” Big Bore National Challenge Match.
The Master at Arms Trophy, known as the Doli Cup and the military’s highest shooting honour, went to Havildar Fazal Rehman of the Punjab Regiment. The regiment also won the Unit Firing Proficiency Match and the Infantry Squad Match.
Field Marshal Munir praised the competitors for their precision. On arrival, he was received by the Inspector General Training and Evaluation and the Commander of Rawalpindi Corps, ISPR said.
