Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the Military College of Engineering (MCE) in Risalpur and appreciated engineers’ contributions during counter-terrorism operations, the military media said on Thursday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the army chief laid a wreath at the martyrs'  monument and offered Fateha.

The COAS was also briefed about training modules and various training facilities at MCE including Counter IEDs Explosive Munitions School (CEMS), Combat and Civil Engineering wings.

He was told that the CEMS, a state of the art training facility, is contributing phenomenally for training of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Pakistan Navy (PN), police and officials from friendly countries.

“This training has been a key element for successful operations during the war against terror as it enabled manpower to search/identify IEDS laid by terrorists and clearing/dismantling terrorists infrastructure and area clearance ensuring force protection,” the military’s media wing said.

Gen Bajwa also visited the Structural Lab at MCE designed to test and verify various standards of huge infrastructures.

He also met the Corps of Engineers champion team of the International PACES competition and lauded their professionalism and skills. “The COAS appreciated the Corps of Engineers for their outstanding contributions during various operations, particularly during counter-terrorism operations.”

Later, the ISPR said Gen Bajwa visited the School of Armour and Mechanised Warfare (SA&MW) Nowshehra.

The COAS was briefed about training aspects of the school with a focus on mechanised warfare training regime as per future battle field requirements.

He inaugurated a newly-built training complex for Tank VT4 which will provide cutting-edge training system to train Armoured Corps officers and men on newly inducted one of the most potent and modern war fighting machines, VT-4 tanks, in Pakistan Army.

The COAS also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Mechanised Warfare Training which will enhance the technical and tactical capacity of students.

“The COAS lauded SA&MW for staying abreast with emerging future battlefield challenges and preparing officers and men to overcome new threats,” the official statement read.