General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), visited an operational base of the Pakistan Air Force on Friday to witness the Pak-China joint air exercise “Shaheen-IX”. 

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), media wing of the Pakistan Army, Shaheen-IX is 9th in the series of joint exercises between PAF and PLAAF, which started in 2011 and are held in Pakistan and China on an alternate basis. The COAS was received by Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force.  

Addressing the participants in the exercise, the army chief said, “The joint exercise will improve combat capacity of both air forces substantially and also enhance interoperability between them with greater strength and harmony.” He said that such joint training ventures were vital to increasing combat readiness of both countries to face emerging geostrategic challenges. 

Interacting with the base personnel, the army chief lauded the professionalism and dedication of PAF and reiterated the importance of inter-services harmony and synergy for operational success. PAF’s cutting edge aside, what makes it second to none is the high morale and thorough professionalism of its personnel, the COAS concluded.