Pakistani army chief’s visit postponed

The scheduled Sri Lanka visit of Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif, NI (M), has been put off due to unavoidable circumstances, until further notice.

General Raheel Sharif, COAS of Pakistan Army at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva was earlier expected to arrive in Sri Lanka on Wednesday (13) afternoon.

During his five-day long stay, General Raheel Sharif was expected to pay courtesy calls on President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister, State Minister of Defence, Secretary to Ministry of Defence, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Chief of Defence Staff, Commanders of the Navy and Air Force and visit several military establishments in Kandy, Galle, Diyatalawa, and Nuwara Eliya areas as parts of his itinerary in the island.

He was expected to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the War Heroes’ monument in Diyatalawa.

General Sharif accompanied Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his visit to Pakistan yesterday.