7,366 Armed force absentees reported during amnesty period

A total of 7,366 armed forces personnel, including 20 officers who were considered as Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL) have reported to their respective service centres as of February 11, the Defence Ministry said.

A week long general amnesty was declared for armed forces absentees in concurrent to the 72nd Independence day, enabling them to receive a discharge or to rejoin and continue their national service to the country from February 5.

Accordingly, six officers and 5,458 other ranked personnel of the Army, 773 naval personnel and 13 officers and 1,135 airmen were reported as of Tuesday.

The Defence Ministry said this measure was taken by the President with the intention to provide an opportunity for the armed forces personnel who had served the nation under difficult circumstances facing numerous hardships and had left their respective services without following proper procedures.