ISLAMABAD: Cadets from Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Bahrain were among the graduating class of cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy Kakul in the garrison city of Abbottabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday. The ceremony, which involves a passing out parade, was attended by Chief of Air Staff, Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, as chief guest.
Awards were given to distinguished cadets, with the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Overseas Gold Medal awarded to Under Officer Al Bazour from Palestine.
Addressing members of the passing out parade, the air chief congratulated graduating cadets and their parents on the successful completion of training and the cadets’ commission into service. He said the Pakistan armed forces took great pride in its sacrifices against militancy and bringing peace and normalcy to the country. He also told cadets to uphold the expectations of the country, by following the highest standards of professional excellence and personal conduct.
Earlier this month, Lt. Gen. Fahad Bin Abdullah Mohammad Al-Motair, Commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces, visited PMA Kakul and met with Saudi cadets undergoing their training program.
The armed forces of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have historically strong ties, with defense cooperation and coordination between them in various areas, including their navies and armies.
Earlier this year, the two countries conducted a joint military exercise called Kaseh 2 in northwestern Pakistan. The drills were aimed at enhancing the efficiency of engineers in unconventional warfare in both countries.
Arab cadets graduate from Pakistan Military Academy Kakul
Arab cadets graduate from Pakistan Military Academy Kakul
- The oversees gold medal was awarded to under officer Al Bazour from Palestine
- Armed forces of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have historic ties, with strong cooperation and coordination in defense
Pakistan arrests suspect arriving from Cambodia amid crackdown on human smuggling
- Suspect worked at an “online fraud company” in Cambodia, later started smuggling people from Pakistan, says FIA
- Pakistan has intensified crackdown against human smugglers after hundreds of migrants drowned near Pylos in 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a key suspect involved in smuggling humans who had arrived from Cambodia, alleging he was also part of an international fraud network.
The suspect, identified as Zainullah, was arrested by FIA officials when he arrived in the southern port city of Karachi from Cambodia.
Zainullah had traveled from Pakistan to Cambodia in September 2024, a press release issued by the agency said.
“He worked at an online fraud company in Cambodia and later became involved as an agent in recruiting individuals from Pakistan,” the FIA said.
The FIA said it recovered images of multiple individuals’ passports, payment receipts and bank transaction records after extracting data from Zainullah’s phone.
It said the suspect received money through personal bank accounts and a cryptocurrency account.
“The suspect has been handed over to the FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle, Karachi, for further legal proceedings,” the FIA said.
“Further investigation is underway.”
Pakistan intensified action against illegal migration in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank off the Greek town of Pylos, one of the deadliest boat disasters in the Mediterranean.
Authorities say they continue to target networks sending citizens abroad through dangerous routes, following heightened scrutiny at airports and a series of arrests involving forged documents.
Pakistan’s interior ministry said this week illegal migration to Europe has declined by 47 percent this year after its nationwide crackdown, saying that more than 1,700 human smugglers have been arrested in 2025.
