ISLAMABAD: Air Marshal Rajapaksa Appuhamilage Udeni Priyadarshana Rajapaksa, commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force, on Friday praised the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) for the “flawless execution” of Indus Shield 2024 air exercises that featured personnel from various friendly nations, the Pakistani military said.
Indus Shield-2024 is the largest multinational regional exercise in which air forces from 24 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye, were taking part, aiming to foster interoperability and training through state-of-the-art facilities, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
The aerial exercise featured the participation of various air chiefs and high-ranking military officials from allied countries who witnessed the mega event. It highlighted the premier multi-domain warfighting capabilities of the Pakistan Air Force and reinforced the importance of collaboration among air forces worldwide.
During his official visit to witness the exercise, Air Marshal Rajapaksa called on PAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu at the Air Headquarters in Islamabad, with the meeting covering a wide array of topics pertaining operational matters in the context of regional security.
“The Commander of Sri Lankan Air Force commended PAF’s achievements in indigenization and its strategic transformation into a Next Generation Air Force under current leadership,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Visiting dignitary lauded the professionalism of PAF personnel and praised the role played by Pakistan Air Force in the organization and flawless execution of the mega event to bring together all the top air powers from across the globe.”
During the meeting, the PAF chief shared insights into various ongoing modernization projects of the Pakistan Air Force’s operational construct, force goals and plans for the force structure with a keen focus on future warfare, according to the statement.
The Sri Lankan air chief expressed his desire to further optimize the existing military ties between the two countries with a specific focus on basic and advanced trainings, maintenance and strengthening the operational competencies of the Sri Lankan Air Force.
“Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force assured of all kind of support to friendly air force,” the ISPR added.
Sri Lankan Air Force chief praises Pakistan for ‘flawless execution’ of Indus Shield air exercise
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Sri Lankan Air Force chief praises Pakistan for ‘flawless execution’ of Indus Shield air exercise
- Indus Shield-2024 is the largest multinational regional exercise that is participated in by air forces of 24 countries
- It highlighted multi-domain warfighting capabilities of Pakistan Air Force, reinforced collaboration among air forces
Pakistan to export halal meat worth $14.5 million to Tajikistan
- Effective trade facilitation can increase bilateral Pakistan-Tajikistan trade to $300 million, says state media
- PM Shehbaz Sharif approved Pakistan’s halal meat policy earlier this month in bid to boost meat exports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will export 143,000 tons of halal meat to Tajikistan worth $14.5 million in the near future, state media reported on Tuesday amid Islamabad’s efforts to bolster trade with Central Asian countries.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, earlier this month, approved Pakistan’s halal meat policy that aims to boost Islamabad’s meat exports to Muslim states.
In a high-level meeting on Dec. 24, Federal Minister for Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain said Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Gulf countries are ready to import Pakistani fresh meat and rice. The minister said Tajikistan has expressed the demand to import nearly 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan.
“According to details, Pakistan will export one hundred and forty-three thousand tons of halal meat to Tajikistan, valued at 14.5 million dollars,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It did not, however, specify a timeline as to when Islamabad planned to export the halal meat items to the Central Asian nation.
The state media said that effective trade facilitation will increase bilateral trade between Pakistan and Tajikistan to $300 million, strengthening regional economic integration.
Pakistan has recently attempted to increase its halal meat exports to other Muslim countries such as Malaysia. Both countries announced they had agreed to a $200 million halal meat trade quota during Sharif’s visit to Malaysia in October.
A 2024 report by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) mentioned that the country exported meat worth $512 million in 2024, which included beef, mutton and poultry.
According to the PBS, the UAE remained Pakistan’s top meat export market in 2024 with exports to the Gulf nation reaching $201 million. Meanwhile, meat exports to Saudi Arabia recorded a growth of 65.1 percent last year valued at $141 million.
