RAWALPINDI: Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif arrived in South Africa on Monday on a three-day official visit.

He visited the South African army headquarters where he was presented a 21-gun salute and a guard of honour by a smartly turned out contingent.

Gen Raheel called on Lt Gen V.R. Masondo, chief of the South African army, and discussed with him bilateral defence ties and matters of mutual interest.

Lt Gen Masondo praised professional prowess and sacrifices of the Pakistan Army during its successful fight against terrorism, and expressed the desire to bolster mutually beneficial defence ties between the two friendly countries, said an ISPR statement.

Gen Raheel was given a briefing on operational and training skills of the South African army.

Later, he met Gen Solly Zacharia Shoke, chief of South African National Defence Forces, and discussed with him matters of professional interest.

The army chief also visited defence production facilities of South Africa to explore possibilities of enhancing defence collaboration and training exchanges between the two countries.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2015

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