ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani military launched on Tuesday a two-week multinational military exercise aiming to further harness military relations with friendly nations, including Qatar and Turkiye, its media wing said.
Special forces contingents from Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Turkiye and Uzbekistan would participate in the two-week exercise, ‘Eternal Brotherhood-II,’ according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir attended the opening ceremony of the exercise and interacted with the participating soldiers. The commanding officer of Pakistan’s elite Special Services Group (SSG) briefed the army chief on the scope of the exercise.
“The exercise is aimed at further harnessing the historic military-to-military relations among the friendly countries, including nurturing of joint employment concept, while identifying areas of mutual interest for future military collaborations and benefitting from each other’s experience against terrorism,” the ISPR said in a statement.
Prior to visiting Barotha, Gen Munir also visited the Junior Leadership Academy (JLA) in Shinkiari in northwest Pakistan, which is the center of excellence for training of non-commissioned officers. He laid a floral wreath at the martyrs’ monument and addressed the participants of the academy.
“Junior Leaders are the backbone of Pakistan Army and are key to success in conventional and unconventional warfare,” the ISPR quoted him as telling the trainees.
He lauded the army’s junior leaders for proving their mettle in the fields of training, operations and competitions across the world.
Pakistan opens two-week military exercise with Qatar, Turkiye among participating nations
https://arab.news/b42xz
Pakistan opens two-week military exercise with Qatar, Turkiye among participating nations
- The two-week drill will focus on nurturing ‘joint employment concept,’ identifying areas for future collaboration
- Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir attends the opening ceremony of the exercise, interacts with participants
Pakistan engages Saudi Arabia, China in bid to ease surging Middle East tensions
- Pakistan’s foreign minister stresses need for de-escalation in conversations with Chinese, Saudi counterparts
- Tensions in the Middle East continue to remain high as conflict between US, Israel and Iran intensifies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar spoke to the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and China on Tuesday, stressing the importance of diplomatic engagement to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East as the Iran war intensifies.
Pakistan has constantly engaged regional countries in efforts to broker a ceasefire in the Middle East, after the US and Isreal launched coordinated strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran launched fresh attacks on Gulf countries on Tuesday morning, where it has targeted US military bases in recent weeks. In addition to firing missiles and drones at Israel and American bases in the region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure which, combined with its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, has sent oil prices soaring worldwide.
Dar spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss developments in the Middle East and ongoing deliberations at the UN Security Council, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
“DPM/FM shared Pakistan’s perspective, underscoring the importance of continued coordination and diplomatic engagement to support de-escalation and promote peace and stability across the region and beyond,” the statement said.
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, spoke to Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi over the telephone separately. The two discussed the evolving regional situation and broader global developments.
Dar underscored the need to ease tensions in the Middle East and the wider region during the conversation, the foreign office said.
Yi appreciated Pakistan’s constructive efforts aimed at promoting de-escalation and stability in the region, it added.
“The two leaders stressed the importance of de-escalation and emphasized the need to pursue dialogue and diplomacy in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter,” the foreign office’s statement said.
The conflict in the Middle East has hit Pakistan hard as well, forcing Islamabad to hike petrol and diesel prices by Rs55 per liter last Friday.
Pakistan’s government has also announced a set of austerity measures, which include closing schools and cutting down on government expenditures, as it evaluates petrol stocks and looks for alternative supply routes.
