ABBOTTABAD: On a hot summer day in June this week, the cadets were sweating in their crisp uniforms, marching in formation, fists clenched, eyes forward. 

It was a usual day of training at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul in northwestern Pakistan, where approximately 2,000 gentlemen cadets daily sweat through the rudiments of leadership in preparation for commission as officers in the army. Among them are 116 foreign cadets, 97 of them from Middle Eastern countries. 

Over the last 76 years, 1,522 cadets from 31 ‘friendly’ nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Qatar and Bahrain, have been trained at the prestigious PMA. 

“I chose Pakistan for it is a brother nation and PMA being the best, one of the best academies in the world,” Iraqi cadet Fateh Ullah Ghazi Al-Sheikh told Arab News during a visit to the academy arranged by the Pakistan army this week. 

“The officers and other cadets at the academy welcomed us with all generosity and it was their warmth and hospitality which gave us a feeling like home.” 

The cadets had to push their limits to get through the “harshest” of obstacles during training at the academy and in the mountainous terrain and learn to be “selfless,” the young recruit added. 

“We have learned about academics, navigation in mountainous ranges and as the course goes on, we keep learning even more,” he said. 

Abdullah Emad Al-Mayreh, a gentleman cadet from Jordan who has spent a year and a half at the academy, said the standard of training at the PMA was “very high with a tough routine.” 

“After I pass out from here, I will go back to my country as a second lieutenant and will work hard to improve my country as well,” he told Arab News, adding that he would also share his training experience with junior officers in the Jordanian army. 

Major Alamgir Pervez Khan, a commanding officer at PMA, said the presence of foreign cadets added “new dimension” to the training environment, fostering cross-cultural understanding and cooperation among the future leadership of armies of friendly countries. 

“These foreign cadets undergo the same training process as their Pakistani counterparts,” Khan told Arab News, saying language and cultural adjustments were made at PMA to accommodate the foreign recruits. 

Still, said Iraqi cadet Hasan Al-Musawi, it was “challenging” to meet the tough standards of training at PMA. 

“The physical standards at PMA are very challenging, but it has helped me in both my physical and mental endurance,” he added. 

Ali Taj, a cadet from Palestine, said besides the grueling physical requirements of the trainings, he had also learned about weapons and other essentials. 

“I am learning through the best training and will be different than other fellow soldiers when I go back,” he said. 

“I will serve my country and I will do the best for my country. I will teach what I have learnt.”