RAWALPINDI, December 17: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa began his visit to Egypt as he met with Army Chief and Minister of Defence & Military Production General Mohamed Zaki. COAS also met Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Egyp,t Lt Gen Mohamed Farid Hegazy. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the two sides discussed matters of mutual interest, military to military relations, defence and security cooperation. The Egyptian leadership highly appreciated the professionalism of Pakistan
Army and the determination of the Pakistani nation in combating terrorism.
Both the sides agreed to increase bilateral cooperation in multiple fields including joint ventures, defence production, training and intelligence. They also agreed to improve cooperation for regional peace and stability, the ISPR statement said.
The Army Chief also met Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar. Grand Sheikh commended the efforts of Pakistan Army in eliminating the scourge of terrorism from the country. He also appreciated issuance of ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan’ fatwa on the issues arising from extremism by religious scholars of all schools of thoughts in Pakistan.
He added that Islam is a religion of moderation and a complete code of conduct, which must not be linked with terrorism/extremism in the global community.
COAS General Bajwa also emphasised the need to harness Muslim youth towards enlightenment, technological advancement, moderation and harmony.
Earlier, on arrival, a smartly turned out contingent of Egyptian Army presented the guard of honour to General Bajwa at the Ministry of Defence. -DNA
