Pakistan Air Force chief visits US after decade-long gap
Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu met US military and political leaders in Washington, marking a step forward in defence cooperation following May clashes with India.
Pakistan Air Force chief visits US after decade-long gap
A third generation of Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunders have been enhanced to outfox Indian air defences. / Reuters
7 hours ago

The head of Pakistan’s Air Force has visited the United States for the first time in over a decade, in a move aimed at deepening military cooperation and advancing shared strategic interests, Pakistan’s military said.

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu met on Wednesday with his US counterpart General David W. Allvin, as well as senior officials at the Pentagon and the State Department.

The exact dates of the visit were not disclosed in the statement released by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Sidhu’s trip came shortly after Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir held talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House late last month.

Both visits followed a flare-up between India and Pakistan in May—one of the most intense episodes of cross-border hostilities in recent years.

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During the four-day conflict, Pakistan claimed it downed six Indian aircraft using Chinese-made fighter jets and missile systems.

India disputed the figures but confirmed it had lost "some" jets in the fighting.

According to the ISPR, Sidhu’s visit "marked a strategic milestone in Pakistan-US defence cooperation and proved instrumental in deepening institutional ties, in addition to addressing key regional and global security issues".

While in Washington, Sidhu met several US officials, including Kelli L. Seybolt, secretary of the US Air Force at the Pentagon; Brown L. Stanley from the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs; and Eric Meyer from the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the State Department.

Talks focused on expanding bilateral military cooperation, increasing interoperability, and exploring opportunities for joint training and technology exchange.

"The meetings served as a forum to underscore Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional stability, its firm commitment to counterterrorism efforts, and its nuanced perspective on the evolving geopolitical dynamics of South and Central Asia," the statement said.

SOURCE:TRT World & Agencies
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