ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu is on a high-level official visit to the United States, the military said on Wednesday, the first by a serving Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief in more than ten years.
The visit comes just weeks after Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir met US President Donald Trump at the White House last month, part of a broader push to re-engage Washington on defense and other matters after years of fluctuating ties.
During his trip, Sidhu met senior US military and civilian leaders, including General David W. Allvin, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, and called on Kelli L. Seybolt, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.
“The high-profile visit marked a strategic milestone in Pakistan-US defense cooperation and proved instrumental in deepening institutional ties in addition to addressing key regional and global security issues,” the army said, adding that talks included discussions on interoperability, joint training initiatives, and avenues for technology exchange.
At the Pentagon, the air chief highlighted the “historic and multifaceted relationship between Pakistan and United States, particularly in the domains of defense and security cooperation.”
Both sides agreed to sustain senior-level engagements to “maintain momentum in the ongoing cooperative endeavors in the areas of joint training, operational exercises and military exchange programs.”
In meetings at the US State Department with officials from the Bureaus of Political-Military Affairs and South & Central Asian Affairs, the air chief “underscored Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional stability” and reiterated its “firm commitment to counterterrorism efforts.”
Sidhu also addressed Pakistan’s evolving security concerns amid changing geopolitical realities.
On Capitol Hill, Sidhu met with several members of the US Congress, including Representatives Mike Turner, Rich McCormick and Bill Huizenga.
The engagements “reinforced the importance of robust engagement in strengthening bilateral relations” and allowed Pakistan to share its “views on strategic challenges, regional security frameworks and the impact of emerging technologies on defense cooperation.”
The PAF has historically maintained close ties with the US military, particularly during the Cold War and the post-9/11 period, when Pakistan received significant military assistance as part of post-9/11 counterterrorism cooperation, including F-16 sustainment and Coalition Support Funds.
However, ties had frayed in recent years amid growing American frustration over Islamabad’s ties to the Afghan Taliban and Washington’s strategic pivot toward India. A US freeze on security assistance to Pakistan in 2018 under the first Trump administration marked a nadir in bilateral defense ties.
Some cooperation resumed under the Biden administration, most notably a $450 million sustainment package for Pakistan’s F-16 program approved in 2022.
In this context, Sidhu’s visit signals renewed efforts by Pakistan’s military leadership to re-engage Washington on security cooperation, even as Islamabad deepens its defense ties with China and explores alternative partnerships in the Gulf and Central Asia.
The Pakistan army said in its statement the landmark visit “reaffirmed Pakistan Air Force’s commitment to promoting regional and global peace,” while laying “the groundwork for renewed institutional collaboration, strategic dialogue and enhanced interoperability” between the two air forces.
