UAE-funded cadet college opens in Pakistan

WAZIRISTAN — Chief of Pakistani Army Staff General Raheel Sharif inaugurated Spinkai Cadet College in South Waziristan on Saturday. The college was built as part of the UAE-funded Project to Assist Pakistan (PAP) at a total cost of $6.3 million.

The college was built in line with the directives of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; and the follow up of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, to assist the friendly people of Pakistan through a number of development and humanitarian projects.

The opening ceremony was attended by senior Pakistani army officers, government officials, tribal leaders and students.

Accompanied by Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, Director of PAP, General Sharif unveiled the plaque of the project, amid shouts of gratitude to the UAE President.

Addressing the ceremony, General Sharif expressed thanks and appreciation to Shaikh Khalifa and Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed for their continuous support and for their humanitarian initiatives.

“When I was a small boy, my father told me about a hospital built and opened in Lahore by the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. When I went to see the hospital, I was moved by the few words written on the memorial plaque: A gift to Pakistan,” he added.