Bahrain’s National Guard Staff Director, Major General Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Saud Al Khalifa, chaired a meeting of the Bahrain Committee between the Bahraini National Guard and the Pakistani Army, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
Commander of the Special Operations Unit, HH Staff Major Sheikh Salman bin Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, and a number of senior officers attended.
The National Guard Staff Director conveyed greeting of the National Guard Commander HH Lt-Gen Sheikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, welcoming the advanced level of relations between the two countries and their people in various areas, chiefly military cooperation.
Ways to broaden military cooperation, joint training and the exchange of expertise were discussed.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Bahrain has strongly condemned the armed attack on Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal in Narawal district of Punjab province.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in a statement, said that Bahrain stands by Pakistan in all its efforts to combat violence, extremism and terrorism in order to restore peace and security. The statement wished the Pakistani Minister speedy recovery.
In another development, the UAE and Pakistan have signed a US$200 million cooperation agreement to execute Phase III of the UAE Pakistan Assistance Program (UAE PAP), UAE national news agency WAM reported.
The signing comes in implementation of the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, under the support of Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and the follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, to provide humanitarian aid to Pakistan.
The UAE PAP has been launched with the objective of providing help and humanitarian assistance to the people of Pakistan and support their development initiatives for a better future. Its mission is to execute development aid projects that offer sustainability and continuous benefits to beneficiaries over the long run.
The agreement, which will be funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), was signed in Islamabad by Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, PAP Director, and Commandant MCE Major General Anwar Ul Haq Chaudhry of the Pakistani Army, in the presence of Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan General Qamar Javed Bajwa and UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obeid Al Zaabi.
At the end of the signing ceremony, the UAE representatives presented a memorial plaque to the Chief of Pakistan Army, marking the 51st anniversary of the drive of humanitarian aid for Pakistan initiated by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1967.
