Chinese fighter jets in Pakistan for Pakistan Day parade
Chinese fighter jets have arrived in Islamabad to take part in the Pakistan Day parade in a show of growing ties between the two countries. Beijing blocked a United Nations Security Council move on March 13 to blacklist the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be the guest of honour at the parade on March 23, said Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor.
Various contingents from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, China, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Turkey will also take part in the parade, the general said, reported The News, published from Pakistan.
Pakistan Day on March 23 commemorates the Lahore Resolution adopted by the All India Muslim League on this day in 1940, seeking a separate homeland for Muslims.
The J-10 fighter jets of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s Bayi Aerobatic Team arrived in Pakistan on Saturday (March 15), reported the Global Times, a Chinese daily.
The move will deepen cooperation between the air forces of the two countries, the report said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is currently on a three-day visit to Beijing to attend the first Pakistan-China foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue.
