Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa was presented with the Bahrain Order (first class) award on Friday by the country’s crown prince in recognition of his services to bolster defence cooperation between Pakistan and Bahrain.
According to a statement by the ISPR, the army chief visited Bahrain from January 6-8 where he met the country’s civil and military leadership.
The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance is the third highest civilian honour of Bahrain decoration named after King Hamad. The award was founded by King Hamad II on 17 April 2008, to recognize services towards the development of the country. The Prime Minister of Pakistan – Imran Khan has also received this award in 2019.
Gen Bajwa called on His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad bin lsa Al Khalifa, The Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander & Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Excellency Field Marshal Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, Commander-In-Chief Bahrain Defence Forces & His Royal Highness, Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Isa Al Khalifa, Commander Bahrain National Guard during his visit.
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, bilateral defence and security cooperation and regional security situation in the Middle East came under discussion,” read a statement from the ISPR.
The Bahraini leadership reaffirmed their “special relationship” with Pakistan, according to the ISPR, and resolved to improve ties further between the two countries.
Later on, the army chief witnessed the closing ceremony of the PAK- Bahrain joint military exercise, AL-BADAR-V at Sakhir Camp. “He appreciated standard of training and the results [of the joint exercise] attained,” said the ISPR. Gen Bajwa pointed out that the exercise highlighted both countries’ efforts against terrorism.