Rawalpindi/Islamabad: Chief of the South African Air Force (SAAF), Lieutenant General Wiseman Simo Mbambo, held key meetings with top Pakistani military leadership during his visit to Pakistan to enhance bilateral defence cooperation and regional understanding.
On Thursday, Lt Gen Mbambo met with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported that both sides engaged in comprehensive discussions on defence collaboration, mutual interests, and the evolving regional security landscape.
General Mirza shared Pakistan’s perspective on key strategic challenges and highlighted the country’s contributions to regional peace and stability. The visiting dignitary commended the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces and recognized their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
A smartly turned out tri-services contingent presented a guard of honour to the visiting general upon his arrival.
Meeting with Air Chief Marshal
Earlier, the South African Air Force Chief met Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, at Air Headquarters in Islamabad.
The two leaders reaffirmed the strong historical ties between the PAF and SAAF, discussing avenues for advanced aerial training, strategic cooperation, and institutional partnership.
Air Chief Marshal Sidhu emphasized PAF’s readiness to support SAAF with tailored training programs and capacity-building initiatives. He also welcomed the idea of SAAF officers attending major PAF operational exercises as observers.
Lt Gen Mbambo praised the PAF’s multi-domain warfare capabilities and technical excellence, expressing keen interest in having SAAF’s C-130 fleet inspected and maintained in Pakistan due to the cost-effective engineering support available.
