May 2, 2006	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, May 1: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said all necessary resources will be provided to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to guarantee peace in the region.

He was talking to Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmud Ahmad who called on him here at the Prime Minister’s House on Monday.

The prime minister said the country’s defence needs would always remain a priority, adding that his government was fully alive to developments in the region.

He said Pakistan was a peaceful country and would not join any arms race. “Our sole objective is to ensure peace in the region so that the process of country’s development and growth continues seamlessly in order to improve the standard of living of the common man,” he added.

The air chief apprised the prime minister of the ongoing plans to modernize the PAF to optimise its effectiveness and efficiency. The prime minister asked him to ensure that under his command the PAF continued to be equipped with the latest technology and was ever ready to meet any challenge.

The PAF chief also briefed the prime minister about his upcoming visit to China to attend the first operational flight ceremony of JF-17 (Thunder) fighter aircraft, which was a joint venture of Pakistan and China.