Islamabad, (Parliament Times) : Commander Bahrain National Guard, General Shaikh Mohammed Bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force during his visit to Air Headquarters, Islamabad. During the meeting, several key areas of mutual interest focused on enhancing collaboration between the two Air Forces were discussed.
Chief of the Air Staff shared broad contours of PAF’s modernization plan of smart acquisitions from allied countries, upgradation of infrastructure and revamping of training in order to address contemporary warfare challenges. The Air Chief highlighted that both the countries enjoy long lasting religious and historic relationships which are manifested through unprecedented brotherly relations. He also reiterated his resolve to further enhance the existing bilateral ties in military to military cooperation and the training domain. CAS further said, “Pakistan values its strong diplomatic, economic and defence relationship with Bahrain which is based on convergence on all important issues relating to regional peace, security and stability”.
The visiting dignitary praised the professionalism of PAF personnel and the exceptional progress made by Pakistan Air Force over the years, especially through indigenization. Commander of the Bahrain National Guard expressed a keen desire for enhanced Air Force-to-Air Force cooperation between the two countries. Further emphasizing the importance of collaboration, the visiting dignitary showed a strong interest in the PAF’s multi-domain capabilities in order to improve operational readiness of Bahrain Air Force through shared knowledge and technology. Commander Bahrain National Guard expressed interest in assistance from the Pakistan Air Force in establishing Basic to Tactical Level training setups in emerging warfare domains, specifically focusing on Space, Cyber and Electronic Warfare operations. The dignitary also expressed an earnest desire to procure equipment from the National Aerospace Science & Technology Park reflecting Bahrain’s goal to enhance its technological capabilities and modernize its defence infrastructure. He shared that his visit would be followed by a high level visit of Commander Bahrain Air Force for formal negotiations in areas of mutual interest. Both the dignitaries vowed to further consolidate cooperation in various fields including training, emerging technologies and mutual cooperation in aviation industry.
Later, the dignitary visited National ISR & Integrated Air Operations Centre established at Air Headquarters, where he was briefed about the operational capabilities of Pakistan Air Force.
The meeting between Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force and Commander Bahrain National Guard signifies a resolute commitment of both countries to reinforce military partnership, fostering collaboration and promoting robust relations.