Saudi pilots arrive in Pakistan for PAF counterterror exercise

Saudi pilots stand beside jets ahead of the Aces Meet 2021-1 exercise in Pakistan on March 27, 2021. (Photo courtesy: The Pakistan Air Force)
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Updated 28 March 2021
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Saudi pilots arrive in Pakistan for PAF counterterror exercise

  • The Aces Meet 2021-1 exercise is designed to maximize the combat readiness of participating nations
  • The United States Air Force will also attend the event while Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain will act as observers

ISLAMABAD: A Royal Saudi Air Force delegation arrived in Pakistan on Friday to join a multinational air exercise designed to maximize the combat readiness of participating countries.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is hosting the two-week-long Aces Meet 2021-1 exercise which has brought together some of the best pilots in the world.

According to an official statement, the United States Air Force will also participate in the exercise while Egyptian, Jordanian and Bahraini officials will attend the event as observers.

"The exercise will help the participants benefit from each other's diverse experiences and different aircraft operations," a PAF spokesman recently told Arab News.

He added that the Pakistani side would use F16 and JF17 Thunder fighter jets whereas the Royal Saudi Air Force would bring Tornado aircrafts.

The PAF spokesman informed that the country's air force had close cooperation with many states in the region and frequently participated in bilateral exercises with them.

"We have been part of different exercises with Saudi Arabia in the past," he said. "Recently, we participated in Al-Saqoor II exercise in Saudi Arabia with our aircrafts."


Pakistan receives $1.2 billion from IMF under EFF, RSF loan programs— central bank

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Pakistan receives $1.2 billion from IMF under EFF, RSF loan programs— central bank

  • IMF Executive Board approved Pakistan’s second review under EFF, first review under RSF loan programs this week 
  • Disbursements from IMF have been crucial for cash-strapped Pakistan as it tries to recover from economic crisis 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central bank announced on Thursday that it has received $1.2 billion under the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) External Fund Facility and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) loan programs. 

The IMF approved a $7 billion bailout package for Pakistan under its EFF program in September 2024 while in May 2025, it approved a separate $1.4 billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund. The RSF will support Pakistan’s efforts in building economic resilience to climate vulnerabilities and natural disasters. 

The global lender approved Pakistan’s second review under its $7 billion EFF program and first review under the RSF loan on Tuesday. As per the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the central bank received a combined sum of $1.2 billion under the EFF and RSF on Dec. 10. 

“The amount would be reflected in SBP’s foreign exchange reserves for the week ending on Dec. 12, 2025,” the SBP said in a statement. 

IMF bailouts have been crucial for cash-strapped Pakistan, which has been struggling with a prolonged economic crisis that has exhausted its financial reserves and weakened its currency. Pakistan came to the brink of a sovereign default in 2023 before a last-gasp IMF bailout package helped it avert the crisis. 

Pakistan has had to take tough decisions to comply with the IMF’s loan requirements, which include scrapping subsidies from food and fuel items to trigger inflation. Since then, Pakistan has attempted to regain stability by sharply reducing inflation and recording a current account surplus. 

The disbursement, however, comes at an important time for the South Asian country as it mitigates losses from a deadly monsoon season that killed over 1,000 people since late June and caused at least $2.9 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure.