According to Royal Military College of Australia, cadet Sardar Arsam Abbas from Pakistan Army was awarded for his excellent performance as the best foreign military cadet in all subjects on the occasion of the parade held on 5th May 2026 at RMC Duntroon, Canberra. It is the fourteenth consecutive year that a cadet from Pakistan Army has received this honor. Inter-Services Public Relations also confirmed that Sardar Arsam Abbas, who is a part of PMA 152 Long Course, has won this title by excelling in all fields of military education at RMC.
RMC Duntroon presents its award for the best foreign military cadet to the international cadet who surpasses all other peers in academics, fitness, leadership, military training, and personal development. By being the recipient of such a prestigious award, the Pakistan Army cadet in Australia, Sardar Arsam Abbas, becomes part of an exclusive club of Pakistani military officers who have earned distinction at one of the most prestigious military academies in the world.
Commissioning Parade Review by Australian Chief of Army in Canberra
The event marked the presence of key figures of the diplomatic circle like the High Commissioner of Pakistan based in Canberra, the parents of the graduates, and some high-profile Australian Defense Force officers.
The presence of Pakistan’s High Commissioner and senior members of the Australian military during the occasion when Sardar Arsam Abbas won the best foreign cadet award highlighted the importance of the diplomatic aspect in a military accolade that means more than just to the cadet himself. Every time a cadet of the Pakistan Army wins top awards in a partner country’s military academy, it strengthens the defense ties between the two countries in a manner that official diplomacy cannot achieve.
This is the 14th time a cadet from Pakistan has topped the list at RMC Duntroon.
According to ISPR, the award for this year is the 14th such honor for the Pakistan Army cadet from RMC Duntroon, which reflects the kind of consistent excellence that very few countries can boast about for over a decade in joint military training at one institution. 46 cadets from the Pakistan Army have passed out from RMC Duntroon since 2009. Seven officers from the Pakistan Army have joined the faculty of RMC Duntroon since 2013.
The fact that Pakistanis have won 14 of the best foreign cadet awards in 17 years clearly indicates that there is something else behind this success apart from individual prowess. The Pakistan Military Academy equips its cadets with the capability to take on the world, while Pakistan Army training gives them the competitive spirit.
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Name of Lieutenant Nasir Shaheed on the RMC parade ground memorial
ISPR mentioned Lieutenant Nasir Hussain Khalid Selhria in particular in its statement on the Pakistan Army cadet in Australia, who was a former RMC Duntroon graduate, awarded the best foreign military cadet in the same institution prior to his martyrdom in North Waziristan in 2020. The college has immortalized the name of Lieutenant Nasir Shaheed on the memorial stone laid out in its parade ground.
The inscription on the memorial plaque provides the Australian-Pakistan Army cadet relationship with a level of permanence that goes beyond the yearly awarding and training exchanges. In fact, through the memorial, there now stands a permanent presence of Pakistanis at one of the most sacred locations for Australian soldiers – a presence recognizing not only the exemplary performance of Lieutenant Nasir Shaheed during his days as a cadet, but also his bravery years later as an officer.
Australia-Pakistan military ties have a history of many years in training cooperation
The military link between the Pakistan army cadet and Australia responsible for the recognition of Sardar Arsam Abbas has been developing for quite some time since the beginning of the 2000s. Since 2009, 46 cadets from the Pakistan Army have been trained at RMC Duntroon, while Pakistani officers have taught at the college as platoon commanders since 2013. It is a two-way learning process as opposed to a one-way training system.
According to ISPR, the award was a reflection of the finest examples of professionalism, dedication, and excellence shown by the junior leadership of the Pakistan Army, which puts the accomplishment of Sardar Arsam Abbas in its proper institutional context rather than treating it as a one-off event. The 14th award for the best foreign cadet is proof of this assertion. If a nation has produced the best foreign cadet from the same institution 14 out of 17 times, it must be the result of a systematic process.
