President confers Nishan-i-Imtiaz on Saudi Chief of General Staff

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday conferred Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) upon Chief of the General Staff, Royal Saudi Armed Forces, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia General Fayiadh Bin Hamed Bin Ragad Al-Rowaily in a special investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, NI (M) and other senior officers were also present during the cerem­ony. Later on, Chief of the General Staff, Royal Saudi Armed Forces also called on President Dr Arif Alvi. Speaking on the occasion, the president said that Pakistan attached great importance to its unique and brotherly relations with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which were based on mutual trust and wished to expand cooperation in all fields.

He expressed satisfaction at close defence cooperation between the two countries which has further scope for growth, particularly in the field of defence production.

The president also highlighted the ever increasing trade and investment relations between the two countries. He underlined that Pakistani expatriates were making tremendous contribution to the progress and development of Saudi Arabia and they could play an important role in implementation of Vision 2030 projects. Chief of the General Staff, Royal Saudi Armed Forces, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia General Fayiadh Bin Hamed Bin Ragad Al-Rowaily thanked the president and the Government of Pakistan for this honour and hoped that bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries would further develop in future.