Gambia: VP Awards Pakistani Army Officers

[fatman17]

Gambia: VP Awards Pakistani Army Officers

Assan Sallah

27 January 2009

Her Excellency, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, vice president and secretary of state for Women's Affairs, who is also the chairperson of the National Security Council, yesterday, on behalf of the Gambian leader, Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, conferred special awards on two Pakistani military officers.

Captain Baber Bilal Haider, who had served as the naval adviser to the Gambian navy, and Group Captain Tameezuddin Shakir Qazi, air adviser to The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), were being honoured at the end of their tour of duty in the country. The ceremony was held at the office of the vice president, in State House, Banjul.

The duo is reported to have served the country for about one year and seven months. Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President Njie-Saidy, on behalf of President Jammeh, who is also the commander-in-chief of The Gambia Armed Forces and secretary of state for Defence, commended the officers for their remarkable achievement in the form of training and advice offered to the country's military.

VP Njie-Saidy described the awards as "very special. She noted that the Gambian leader gives such awards to only those who work very hard and support The Gambia Armed Forces. The Gambia's vice president assured the Pakistani military officers that President Jammeh values the existing relationship between The Gambia and Pakistan. She had many words of praise for the Pakistani military, describing it as "an army to be reckoned with".

"We hope and pray that you will have more responsibilities and promotions in Pakistani, when you go back," she told the two officers. She added: "You were good ambassadors of Pakistan in The Gambia and we also hope that you will be our good ambassadors in Pakistan." Speaking earlier, Major General Lang Tombong Tamba, chief of defence staff of The Gambia Armed Forces, congratulated the two military officers for their "well deserved awards."

According to CDS Tamba, the 'special honour' awards are given to those who render invaluable services to The Gambia Armed Forces. He revealed that the two military officers have been very instrumental in advising the Gambia Armed Forces, and that they have laid the foundation of a professional Gambia Air Force, which will soon be constituted.

"They have also been instrumental in sharing experiences with The Gambia Navy and they have gone extra miles to ensure that GAF benefits from military courses in Pakistan," CDS Tamba narrated. Major General Tamba used the opportunity to thank President Jammeh for his efforts in ensuring that GAF becomes a highly trained professional army, and the vice president for her equally endless support to the force. CDS Tamba finally extended his best regards to the awardees.

For his part, General Amir, head of the Pakistani military team in The Gambia, who accompanied the two officers to State House, praised his colleagues for successfully completing their task in The Gambia. General Amir described the Gambia as their second home, and promised that the officers can always be accessed whenever their efforts are needed.

He expressed profound gratitude and appreciation to President Jammeh and CDS Tamba for the great care and hospitality accorded them during their stay in The Gambia. Group Captain Shakir, one of the awardees, thanked President Jammeh for conferring these awards on them. He also thanked VP Njie-Saidy and CDS Tamba for their hospitality.

He expressed hope that the fruitful cooperation that binds the two countries will flourish. In a reciprocal demonstration of appreciation of the awards, General Amir also presented a monogram of the Paskistani Navy and a military stick to Vice President Njie-Saidy, for President Jammeh. The ceremony was attended by security chiefs

 

[Myth_buster_1]

good news. but where does army come into this? one is a group captian and the other is Captian of navy equivalent to "LT Col." in the army.

 

[Xeric]

Well what an achievement is this one. Great!
i am sure these Officers definitely had provided the Gambian military with what they needed to become what we call a professional and potent military force.

 

[gambian]

my dad was the Captain....i was there.... Navy Captain= Army Colonel, and the general was Brigadier general Ameer Mumtaz. trust me, these three were over 10 years senior than the CDS of the GAFs

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

my dad was the Captain....i was there.... Navy Captain= Army Colonel, and the general was Brigadier general Ameer Mumtaz. trust me, these three were over 10 years senior than the CDS of the GAFs

God bless you, may you have long life brother.


Fauj Zindabad!

 

[Ahmed Mehmood]

yeah you're right man, Captain in Navy is equivalent to Colonel in Army... not Lt.Col as mentioned above by one of our friends

 

[somebozo]

Pakistani armed forces are master minds behing sevral airforces and navies today. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Jordan and some African states are just few to name.

 

[blain2]

Pakistani armed forces are master minds behing sevral airforces and navies today. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Jordan and some African states are just few to name.

We had nothing to do with Egypt but you are right about advising others. You forgot to mention Zimbabwe specifically where AM Azim Daudpota SJ was sent to command their Air Force for 3 years to get them off the ground after the white Rhodesian chief left.

 

[somebozo]

We had nothing to do with Egypt but you are right about advising others. You forgot to mention Zimbabwe specifically where AM Azim Daudpota SJ was sent to command their Air Force for 3 years to get them off the ground after the white Rhodesian chief left.

Source: Egyptian Air Force

With the cooperation of Chinese and Western manufacturers, Egypt developed a major domestic industry that assembled aircraft and produced parts. The Egyptian and Pakistani governments reportedly agreed in November 2000 on a major bilateral defense trade agreement which involved the refurbishment of Egyptian Air Force (EAF) aircraft in Pakistan in exchange for the supply of Egyptian F-16A/B spare parts to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The deal, which had been in preparation for some time, was reportedly finalized by Pakistan Chief Executive Gen. Pervez Musharraf and senior Egyptian officials at the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in Doha on November 13-14, 2000. What was agreed, reportedly, included:

■The provision by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) at Kamra, near Islamabad, of major overhauls and upgrades of some or all of the airframes and engines of the EAF's 13 Dassault Mirage 5 E2 tactical fighters; appr. 45 Dassault Mirage 5 SDE tactical fighters; less than 6 Dassault Mirage 5SDR tactical reconnaissance aircraft; and 5 Dassault Mirage 5 SDD operational trainers at the Mirage Rebuild Facility, which is part of PAC;
■The provision by PAC of major overhauls and upgrades of some or all of the airframes and engines of the EAF's appr. 45 Chengdu F-7B Fishbed tactical fighters at the F-6 Rebuild Facility, part of PAC. [Although called the F-6 Rebuild Facility, it undertakes major work on A-5, F-6 and F-7 types.] As well, similar work would be undertaken on some or all of the EAF's appr. 400 Mikoyan MiG-21PFS, MiG-21PFM and MiG-21MF Fishbed tactical fighters; appr. 10 Mikoyan MiG-21R Fishbed tactical reconnaissance aircraft; and appr.12 Mikoyan MiG-21UM/US Mongol operational trainers; as well as appr. 50 Shenyang F-6 Farmer tactical fighters; 5 Shenyang FT-6 Farmer operational trainers.
■The provision by Pakistan Ordnance Factories, at Wah Cantonment, near Islamabad, of a range of ordnance and munitions for the Egyptian Armed Forces;
■Other as-yet unidentified goods and services to be provided by Pakistan to the Egyptian Armed Forces;
■Provision by Egypt of spare parts for the PAF's appr. 35 F-16A/B fighters.
Egyptian Air Force sources indicated in January 2001 that the EAF was to acquire a significant quantity of Karakorum K-8 advanced jet trainer/light strike aircraft from Pakistan, basically to replace its approximately 25 Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet MS1 advanced trainers and approximately a dozen Dassault-Breguet/Dornier Alpha Jet MS2 light attack aircraft.

Also there is a Pakistani defence advisor to President Hosni Mubrak, I forgot his name can someome dig it out??

Now here is an old but potent chilli suppositry for Indians.

http://www.defaiya.com/defaiyaonlin...-cooperation-&catid=67:iraq&Itemid=27&lang=en