Major General Humaid Abdulla Alremeithi, the Commander of the UAE Naval Forces, was awarded the most important military decoration in Pakistan, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military), in a very strong demonstration of the strong and fraternal ties between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The ceremony of awards, which was organized in the Presidency in Islamabad, was the recognition of his excellent services and a sign of the long-term cooperation of the armed forces of the two countries.
UAE Naval Chief is awarded by President of Pakistan
President Asif Ali Zardari was the presiding officer of the investiture ceremony and he conferred the honor on Major General Alremeithi. President Zardari emphasized that the award was a commemoration of the exemplary services of the UAE naval chief and that his visit emphasized the good fraternal relations between the UAE and Pakistan. During an event after the ceremony, the President renewed the resolve of Pakistan to improve such relations which have a long history and are cemented by the strong people to people relations.
The President indicated his pleasure with the recent active involvement of the UAE Navy in the recent Aman Dialogue-25 and Exercise Aman-25 and the trust that the UAE has placed in the professionalism of the Pakistan Navy. He promised Major General Alremeithi of Pakistan that it was willing to remain supportive of the manpower needs of the UAE Navy and to strengthen further cooperation between the two naval forces. Major General Alremeithi on his part, said that he personally felt close to Pakistan, having spent four years of his life in the Pakistan Naval Academy in Karachi.
Improving Interoperability, and Joint Training
Major General Alremeithi, in his turn, held intensive consultations with the highest military authorities of Pakistan, in particular, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff. The conferences were aimed at discussing the changing global and regional geo-strategic situation and finding new ways of defense collaboration.
During his visit to the head of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), the UAE naval commander expressed the strong interest of the UAE Armed Forces in leveraging the abundant operational experience of the PAF in the multi-domain warfare. He observed that the combat-proven doctrine and the operational framework of the PAF are priceless to international partners. This interest follows the successful multi-domain operations that the PAF had undertaken during a military standoff in May where the PAF is said to have shot down six Indian fighter jets including French-made Rafale jets. The one-hour aerial conflict, which was deemed the biggest air battle in decades, demonstrated the success of the Pakistani military forces and the J-10s that were of Chinese origin.
Major General Alremeithi also emphasized that the UAE is highly interested in holding joint exercises with the PAF and that the value of mutual learning, synergy of operations, and increased interoperability is enormous. He said that the UAE Air Force is keen to engage in mutual training programs in Pakistan, a project he termed as an essential pillar in the establishment of the fraternal ties between the two countries.
These high-level interactions and the award of the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) reaffirm the strategic defense alliance between Pakistan and the UAE, which opens the way to a new phase of deepening of collaboration and joint operations.
