Chief of the Army Staff( COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has expressed grief and sorrow on the sad demise of His Excellency Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Ayesh, Assistant Defence Minister, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Army Chief offered heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and Saudi leadership. “May Allah Almighty bless the departed soul in eternal peace, Ameen” he added, said a statement issued by the ISPR on Saturday.

General Bajwa further said “Pakistan and its Army have lost a true friend who was a shining symbol of the exemplary brotherly relationship between the two countries. We stand with our Saudi brethren in committing ourselves to the ideals of fraternity and brotherhood that he always championed.”

Saudi minister dies aged 68

Saudi Arabia’s assistant minister of defence, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Ayesh, died on Friday, aged 68, reported Arab News.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said he had been suffering from an illness.

Al-Ayesh had been appointed to the position in May 2014 having previously been commander-in-chief of the Royal Saudi Air Forces (RSAF) between 2010 and 2013.

Born in 1952 and from Jouf, he joined the RSAF in 1970 and graduated from King Faisal Air Academy as a pilot in 1972, becoming a pilot officer on F-15 fighter jets in the same year.

In 1974, he was appointed pilot officer in the 13th Squadron on Lightning interceptor aircraft and in 1982 maintained the title in the same squadron flying F-15s. Al-Ayesh attended an instructor pilot and weapons instructor course on Lightning aircraft in the UK in 1978.

He also served as the director of the RSAF Command’s plans and operations department, the commander of King Khalid Air Base, chief of RSAF operations, and deputy commander of the RSAF.

During his career, Al-Ayesh received several military medals including the King Abdul Aziz Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Legion of Merit from France, the First-Class Military Medal for Respect, and a Bronze Star from the US.