KARACHI: The Pakistan-China Joint International Air Exercise ‘Shaheen-VII’ concluded at an Operational Air Base of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) here on Friday.

Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) Air Marshal Muhammad Haseeb Paracha was chief guest at the culmination ceremony. Defence Attaché from the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China Maj Gen Chen Wenrong was also present on the occasion.

High-ranking officials of both countries were given a comprehensive briefing on the exercise. Air Marshal Paracha highlighted the significance of the joint venture and appreciated the personnel of the two air forces for the smooth conduct of the exercise.

In his address, Maj Gen Chen thanked the PAF high command for extending hospitality and providing the opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences.

Earlier, distinguished guests visited the exercise monitoring cell to witness the conducting of the exercise. PAF war veterans, Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) officials, diplomats from the Chinese Embassy, retired and senior serving officers attended the ceremony. Later, the guests witnessed the launched missions of PAF and PLAAF’s participating fighter jets and support elements.

The main objective of the exercise was to maximise the combat readiness of the air forces by providing a realistic training environment in different air combat scenarios.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2018