The prime minister arrived here on a two-day visit on the special invitation of the Saudi King on Sunday. He was received at the King Abdulaziz Air Force Base at Al Khobar by Governor Dammam Prince Saud bin Nayef. Ambassador Khan Hasham bin Saddique and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf al-Maliki were also present.
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the closing ceremony of Gulf Shield-1. Photo: PID
Troops of the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft, JF-17 Thunder Fighter jets, Pakistan Navy ships, and commandos from Special Services Group are participating in the exercise, touted as the largest military drill in the region in terms of diversity of troops, weapon systems, and operational manoeuvring.
The spokesman for Joint Gulf Shield-1, Brig Gen Abdullah Al-Subaie, told a news conference that the exercise featured two types of military operations; conventional military operations that involved coastal defence attacks against the enemy, besides the irregular war operations carried out by besieging and penetrating villages and industrial installations to cleanse them of hostile elements.
The spokesman said the most important aspect of the exercise was to activate the concept of joint military combat operational plans to counter hostile acts that threaten the security and stability of the region.
The exercise also displayed military uniformity among the participating countries, in addition to the development of a sense of collective security, unity and common destiny, the spokesman said. The closing ceremony would comprise a parade by the participating troops. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud would receive the leaders, defence and foreign ministers and heads of different armed forces.
AFP adds: Saudi Arabia concluded a month-long military exercise involving more than two dozen nations on Monday, a day after hosting an Arab summit that slammed what it called Iran's growing interference in the region. The exercise on Saudi Arabia's east coast, dubbed Gulf Shield-1, involved combat search-and-rescue drills as well as naval warfare and air operations, officials said. Saudi King Salman presided over the closing ceremony of the drills, which he said highlighted a "unified alliance" between over 24 countries to combat military threats.
"The event is... meant to demonstrate our ability to take joint military action, the region's readiness to support Arab unity and its capacity to deter any threats," military spokesman Abdullah Subaei was quoted as saying in a Saudi information ministry statement. "This exercise demonstrates that we have the cooperation of friendly nations, our experience and expertise to deal with those threats." On Sunday, King Salman slammed Iran's "blatant interference" in the region as Arab leaders met in the kingdom for their annual summit.
Saudi Arabia in March 2015 launched a coalition of Arab states fighting to roll back Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen and restore the country's internationally-recognised government to power.
Last November, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman presided over the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance involving around 40 Muslim countries, as he vowed to "pursue terrorists".