Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and the Libyan armed forces’ deputy commander-in-chief held a meeting on Wednesday, and the two sides emphasised the importance of strengthening bilateral defence ties, according to a statement by the military’s media affairs wing.

The meeting was held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where Lieutenant General Saddam Khalifa Haftar was presented a guard of honour by a smartly turned-out tri-services contingent upon arrival, a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

It added that during his meeting with Field Marshal Munir, matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics, defence cooperation and avenues for enhanced military-to-military collaboration were discussed.

“Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral defence ties and expanding cooperation in areas of professional military training and security,” the statement said.

It further stated that Field Marshal Munir highlighted the Pakistan Army’s commitment to promoting peace, stability and constructive engagement with friendly countries.

“The visiting dignitary appreciated the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces and acknowledged their contributions towards regional peace and security,” it added.

The CDF had held a meeting with the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the Libyan armed forces in February as well, in which he had reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Libya.

In December of last year, Pakistan signed a multi-billion-dollar deal to sell conventional military equipment to the Libyan army, entering a select club of countries that export conventional arms and equipment.

A copy of the deal, before it was finalised, was seen by Reuters. It listed the purchase of several JF-17 fighter jets, jointly developed by Pakistan and China, and a number of Super Mushak trainer aircraft, used for basic pilot training.