DUSHANBE, December 22, 2011, Asia-Plus — Military and technical cooperation between Tajikistan and Pakistan as well as training of military personnel for Tajik national army at Pakistani military schools were a major topic of a meeting of Tajik Minister of Defense, Colonel-General Sherali Khairulloyev, with visiting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan, General Khalid Shameem Wynne, which took place here on December 21.
Faridoun Mahmadaliyev, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, says the sides have reached an agreement that a group of Pakistani officers will arrive in Tajikistan soon to develop the training program for the future officers of Tajik national army.
They also discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and bilateral interaction to counter international terrorism and provide regional security.
Khairulloyev and Wynne agreed to exchange operational information on the situation in the region, the spokesman said.
On the same day, General Wynne visited the Tajik Military Institute, where he held meeting with teachers and cadets.
After that, Pakistani flag officer held talks with Lieutenant-General Ramil Nadyrov, Chief of the General Staff of Tajikistan’s Armed Forces.
General Wynne is also scheduled to hold talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon tomorrow.
We will recall that General Khalid Shameem Wynne arrived in Tajikistan Wednesday evening on a three-day official visit. Pakistani general’s visit to Tajikistan is expected to result in signing of a number of cooperation documents between the two countries.
According to the Tajik Ministry of Defense, military and technical cooperation between Tajikistan and Pakistan began in 2009 and it has reportedly been expanding since that time.
General Khalid Shameem Wynne, (born August 28, 1953), is a four-star general in the Pakistan Army and the current and 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The official statement noted that “Gen. Wynne was appointed as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee by President Asif Ali Zardari, on the advice of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.”
Before this appointment, Wynne was reportedly serving as the Chief of General Staff (CGS) at General Headquarters since April 2010. He also served as Commander of the Southern Command (formerly the XII Corps) in Quetta from 2007 till 2010 overseeing the Baloch insurgency and the fallout of the war in the Tribal Areas.
