LAHORE, March 10: A batch of 200 Pakistani troops has left for Congo to perform peace-keeping duties under the aegis of the United Nations Mission.

Brig Khalid Mahmood bade them farewell at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, prior to their departure on a UN-chartered aircraft here on Monday.

According to a press release, the departing troops will replace the already deployed Pakistan army contingent in the war-ravaged country as part of the relieve and rotation schedule.

Bidding the troops adieu, Brig Mahmood said that Pakistan army had a glorious track record of rendering dedicated services for the restoration of peace all over the globe.

He said services of the Pakistani contingent to secure stable environments for maintenance of peace and order in Somalia, Eastern Slovenia, Bosnia, Haiti, East Temor, Liberia, the Sudan, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone had enhanced the country’s image among the comity of nations.

He urged the troops that they were embarking on a foreign assignment as ambassadors of Pakistan and their every action should be truly reflective of the exemplary traditions of the Pakistan army.