Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, first deputy Prime Minister (PM) and minister of defence, decorated Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa with the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class for making “significant contributions in defence cooperation” between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
The medal was named after Saudi Arabia’s founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud and is considered the highest civilian honour in KSA. Recently, it was given to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Pakistan’s army chief visited Saudi Arabia on an official tour met with the Crown Prince in Jeddah on Saturday. They reviewed bilateral relations, especially in the military fields, and opportunities for developing them. They also discussed a number of issues of common interest.
Following this, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the COAS for being conferred the honour. “It is a great honour for the people and the armed forces of Pakistan,” he said in a tweet.
In another tweet, he said Pakistan considers the security of Saudi Arabia “as our own and are completely resolved to further cementing our multifaceted bilateral relationship including excellent defence cooperation”.
COAS Bajwa meets Musharraf:
COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his wife also paid a visit to former President and Army Chief General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in Dubai, reports emerged on Saturday.
Gen Qamar and his wife were accompanied by top physicians of the Pakistan Army. They spent some time with Gen Musharraf and his family while the army doctors examined the former military ruler, reports The Express Tribune.
Earlier this month, Musharraf’s family revealed that he is going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible as his organs are malfunctioning.
After this, the establishment and politicians, including Nawaz Sharif, came forward and were of the view that he should be brought back to Pakistan.
