Turkish Land Forces commander receives Pakistan’s highest military award

Pakistan has conferred one of its highest military awards upon General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, commander of the Turkish Land Forces.

President Asif Ali Zardari conferred on Monday the Nishan-e-Imtiaz or Order of Excellence (Military) upon Bayraktaroglu at a ceremony at the President’s House in the capital Islamabad in recognition of his "illustrious" services and contribution towards strengthening defence relations between Türkiye and Pakistan, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

Foreign diplomats and high-ranking military authorities also attended the award ceremony.

The Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) is the highest award that can be awarded to the heads of service chiefs, including top foreign military officers.

Earlier, this month, Pakistan also conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) upon Turkish Chief of General Staff General Metin Gurak.

Defence cooperation

Later, Bayraktaroglu called on Zardari to discuss matters pertaining to defence cooperation between the two countries, said a statement from the president’s office.

Zardari said that Pakistan is proud of its relations with Türkiye, which has always supported Islamabad on “core” issues.

He also highlighted the need for boosting people-to-people contacts, as well as promoting cooperation in the areas of agriculture, education, art, and culture to bring the people of Pakistan and Türkiye closer.

Zardari said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a “true and sincere friend.”

Bayraktaroglu, for his part, reiterated the desire to further improve defence cooperation with Pakistan.

He said that both countries could significantly contribute to the promotion of regional peace and stability.

The meeting was also attended by Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir.