PAF awarded for transporting Japanese tourists

The Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, Mr. Hiroshi Oe, presented Tuesday an Award of Excellence to the seventeen- member team of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) for the successful emergency transportation of the 77 Japanese tourists from Gilgit to Chaklala Air Base on the 8th of April, 2012.
On request from the Japanese Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) within no time dispatched a military aircraft to airlift 77 Japanese tourists including some other foreigners from a northern region where sectarian violence had left them stranded in April this year.
Eulogizing the meritorious service by the PAF, Ambassador Oe said that the government and the people of Japan highly valued this effort rendered by the 17-member team of Pakistan Air Force which successfully transported Japanese tourists from Gilgit to Islamabad despite short time and an inclement weather. “This award is the recognition of your great services for the Japanese tourists who had been in need of emergency help at that time,” said the Japanese Ambassador.
The Ambassador said that the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba had extended their profound appreciation to the visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar when they met in Tokyo recently for extending this valuable support.
While appreciating the resolve of the crew members of C-130 and the ground staff, Ambassador Oe said that without this firm resolve of the crew members, the operation would not have succeeded as the weather conditions for the next few days did not allow flight operation in the area.
Highlighting the military cooperation between Japan and Pakistan, the Ambassador said that the two countries had extended great help to each other in time of natural calamities like Great East Japan Earthquake, the earthquake of 2005 in Pakistan, and the flood of 2010.
Ambassador Hiroshi Oe expressed his resolve to continue to work towards further strengthening cooperative relations between the military of the two countries.