By Idris Matzin
REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN, Thursday 10 January 2013 - The 4th Brunei Darussalam – Islamic Republic of Pakistan Joint Defence Working Committee (JDWC) was held at the Ministry of Defence, Islamabad on 10th January 2013.
The meeting was co-chaired by the Secretary of Defence of the Ministry of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Lieutenant General (R) Asif Yasin Malik and the Permanent Secretary (Defence Policy and Development) Ministry of Defence of Brunei Darussalam, Colonel (R) Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Azmansham bin Pengiran Haji Mohamad. The meeting was also attended by senior military and civilian officials from both sides.
The meeting discussed the progress and areas to further strengthen bilateral defence relations in military trainings and exercises, equipment and materiel support, secondment of medical officers and information sharing. Both sides also shared and exchanged views on regional security, Brunei Darussalam’s Defence White Paper 2011 as well as Pakistan’s defence industry potential.
The JDWC between Brunei Darussalam and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was established through the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation signed on 19 May 2004. The MoU serves as a framework for fostering closer defence relations and cooperation between the defence establishments and armed forces of both countries.
The Brunei Darussalam delegation was also taken for industrial visits to the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) and Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF).