Pakistan and Sri Lanka have launched a joint counter-terrorism military exercise codenamed Shake Hands-II at Tarbela in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Ada Derana reported on Tuesday citing Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The two-week drill commenced on April 27, with the participation of the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) and Special Forces from the Sri Lankan Army.
ISPR said the exercise is designed to strengthen the professional capabilities of both forces through joint training and to deepen long-standing military-to-military ties between the two countries. “Participating troops will benefit from the exchange of operational experiences and expertise in counter-terrorism operations, contributing to improved interoperability and mutual understanding,” the statement said.
The exercise comes shortly after Pakistan Navy ships PNS Taimur and PNS Aslat docked in Colombo in mid-April for the bilateral LION STAR-V naval exercise, signalling a steady tempo of joint activity between the two militaries this year.
Tarbela is the home of Pakistan Army’s SSG headquarters and a regular venue for counter-terrorism training with foreign militaries. ISPR noted that Islamabad has run several similar exercises in recent months, including the Pakistan-Türkiye Jinnah-XIII commando drill last week, the ongoing Thunder-II exercise with Egypt at Cherat, and Inspired Gambit-2026 with the United States in January.
Bilateral defence cooperation between Sri Lanka and Pakistan has expanded over the past two years, covering training, technical assistance and joint maritime patrols. The Shake Hands series, the latest iteration of which began on Monday, is the army-level counterpart to that broader engagement.
