Air chief meets US military, political leadership during his visit

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Chief Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu undertook an official visit to the United States (US) the first by a serving PAF Air Chief in over a decade, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Babar Sidhu held meetings with top military and political leadership in the US. The meetings took place at the State Department, the Pentagon and Capitol Hill, the military’s media wing said.

This is the first visit of a Pakistan Air Force chief to the US in the last decade.

During the visit, Chief of the Air Staff held a series of high-level meetings with senior U.S. military and political leadership. At the Pentagon, he called on Ms. Kelli L. Seybolt, Secretary of the Air Force (International Affairs), and General David W. Allvin, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, a state-run news agency, APP, reported.

During the meetings the discussions centered around advancing bilateral military cooperation, enhancing interoperability and exploring avenues of joint training & technology exchange. Chief of the Air Staff highlighted the historic and multifaceted relationship between Pakistan and United States, particularly in the domains of defence and security cooperation.

Chief Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to further enhance the existing ties in the realms of military-to-military cooperation and training between the Air Forces of the two countries. The two sides also agreed upon the continuation of high-level military engagements in future through senior-level interactions.

The PAF’s chief visit followed Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s visit to the US where he met with President Donald Trump and others.

The US president hosted Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on luncheon and described the meeting as an ‘honour’ for him.

“I was honoured to meet him today,” Donald Trump said. The US president also expressed gratitude to Syed Asim Munir for his role in averting war with India.

Following a closed-door lunch with Pakistan’s army chief, Donald Trump also revealed that trade negotiations are ongoing with Pakistan.