71 foreign cadets from 11 countries pass out, praise training at IMA

Himanshu Kumar Lall

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Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 13

Out of the fleet of 687 vibrant and young officers, 71 Foreign Gentleman Cadets from 11 countries became young officers of their respective nations after showing their immaculate drill skills in the passing-out parade held at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) here today.

The Foreign Gentleman Cadets left the IMA with fond memories after completing a strenuous training there. All of them would join the armies of their respective countries as officers once they return home.

Foreign Gentleman Cadet Ali Shareef from Maldives, who was adjudged the best all round cadet among all Foreign Gentleman Cadets and awarded the silver medal, said hard work and dedication helped him to excel in the pre-commissioned training. Sharref was awarded the certificate of excellence at the SAARC summit held in Maldives in 2011.

Foreign Gentleman Cadet Samsoar Stnakzai from Afghanistan said it was a wonderful experience undergoing training in the IMA. The training would certainly help them to neutralise terrorists in counter insurgency operations in Afghanistan. “The military training gives unique confidence to repulse enemy’s attack, even during adverse weather conditions,” they said. They added that they would share every aspect of training with fellow officers of the Afghan National Army with an aim to eliminate terrorists from their motherland.

Foreign Gentleman Cadet N Audu from Nigeria said the training helped cadets to compound criticality of the crisis in all its aspects—physical, mental, moral and emotional. He too wanted to share his skills and experiences with his fellow officers in his country.

He ranked the IMA as one of the most prestigious academies of the world as it transforms unskilled and innocent boys into mature and tough army men capable of dealing with any kind of situation.

Foreign Gentleman Cadet Kesantia Thobias from Tanzania said every Foreign Gentleman Cadet was given an equal opportunity to exhibit his skills during the training.

Foreign Gentleman Cadet Hlalele MJ from Lesotho said they were groomed thoroughly to face any adverse situation in the battlefield.