Top Pakistani, Saudi military commanders discuss regional security, defence cooperation

ISLAMABAD — The joint chiefs of staff of the Saudi armed forces called on the Pakistan air chief on Monday and discussed regional security as well as bilateral and defence cooperation between the two brotherly Islamic countries.

Major General Hamed Bin Rafei Al-Amri, Director Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces, led the Saudi military delegation to Pakistan that met Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu.

A statement issued by the PAF says, “Al-Amri expressed his grief over the devastation caused by recent floods in Pakistan and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims. He praised efforts of PAF (Pakistan Air Force) personnel for their support to civil administration in relief activities and rehabilitation process of the flood affectees.”

The dignitary acknowledged PAF’s growing indigenous capability in the aviation industry and agreed to optimize existing ties between the two nations’ air forces, particularly in the training and operational domains.

The air chief shared the “broad contours of PAF’s modernization drive to achieve operational capability in the contemporary warfare in air, space and cyberspace domains as per the PAF’s operational construct and said that Pakistan Air Force is fully focused in acquisition and development of these technologies.”

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial relations, with over 2.5 million Pakistanis living in the kingdom, which is the largest contributor of remittances to the South Asian nation.