Army wins 46th PARA Central Meet as over 1,500 shooters compete in Jhelum

The competition, which ran from October 7 to November 11, 2026, brought together shooters from the Pakistan Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as civil armed forces and civilian teams from across the country. Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of the Naval Staff, attended the ceremony as the guest of honour.

Alongside the army chief, he presented trophies and medals to winners and runners-up across various categories. Pakistan Army claimed the championship trophy in the 4th Inter-Services Combat Shooting Championship, while the Army Marksmanship Unit secured victory in the Prime Minister's 'Skills at Arms' Big Bore National Challenge Match.

One of the most prestigious awards of the competition, the 'Master at Arms' Trophy, also known as the Doli Cup, was presented to Havildar Fazal Rehman of the Punjab Regiment. The Punjab Regiment further demonstrated its shooting proficiency by winning the Unit Firing Proficiency Match and the Infantry Squad Match.

The event featured participation from more than 1,500 firers representing a wide range of military, security and civilian organisations. These included the Army, Navy, Air Force, Pakistan Rangers (Sindh and Punjab), Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts and civil armed forces.

Teams from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also competed, alongside representatives of the Federal Rifle Association and civilian participants. During his interaction with the participants, Field Marshal Asim Munir praised the shooters for demonstrating exceptional marksmanship and precision throughout the competition.

He emphasised that shooting proficiency was a hallmark of a professional soldier, stressing that mastery of small arms must remain a fundamental component of basic military training. The army chief highlighted the importance of maintaining high standards of weapon-handling skills and marksmanship, which remain essential elements of military preparedness and professional competence.

The PARA Central Meet serves as a major platform for assessing and showcasing shooting skills among military personnel and civilian participants, with competitions covering different disciplines and categories. Earlier, upon his arrival at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Jhelum, the COAS and CDF was received by the Inspector General Training and Evaluation (IG T&E) and Commander Rawalpindi Corps.