- Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu discusses regional security, joint exercises and exchange programmes during official visit to Tashkent
TASHKENT 14 NOVEMBER 2026 (Khyber Mail) – Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force, held high-level meetings with Uzbekistan’s defence and air force leadership during an official visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan.
He met Defence Minister Lieutenant General Botir Qudrathodjayev Bahromovich and Major General Burkhanov Akhmad Jamolovich, Deputy Defence Minister and Commander of Air Defence and Air Force of Uzbekistan. In the meeting with the defence minister, the two sides discussed regional security, existing defence ties and prospects for institutional collaboration. The Air Chief highlighted the deep-rooted historical, cultural and brotherly ties between Pakistan and Uzbekistan. The Uzbek defence minister praised the professionalism, operational prowess and combat capabilities of the Pakistan Air Force, and expressed keen interest in drawing on the PAF’s expertise and human resource potential to enhance the operational readiness of the Uzbekistan Air Force.
In the subsequent meeting with the deputy defence minister, the talks focused on air force-to-air force cooperation, with special emphasis on joint military exercises, structured exchange programmes, sustained professional interactions and capacity building. Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing operational readiness and broadening professional collaboration in emerging technologies by drawing on their respective expertise and technological capabilities.