Air chief says Bholari base to safeguard CPEC project

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KARACHI: Pakistan Air Force (PAF), in a landmark event in its history, inaugurated a newly-established main operating base – the PAF Base Bholari – earlier on Monday.

The establishment of PAF’s new operational airbase would play a key role in safeguarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, said Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman. “Indeed, PAF Base Bholari is a project of strategic significance for capacity enhancement of Pakistan Air Force in operational domain both overland as well as at sea,” he said.

With the establishment of the base, PAF would be able to support the land operations of the army more efficiently, he said. More so, PAF Base Bholari would also augment and supplement the very important maritime operations carried out by the navy, Aman told the gathering.

Besides providing aerial defence to the motherland, he said that the base would also play a key role in the socio-economic uplift of the adjoining areas by providing state-of-the-art health services, quality education and employment to the locals.

The air base – located northeast of Karachi – is a significant milestone that will not only strengthen the defence of Karachi and coastline but also provide aerial support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy for their land and operations respectively.

Four F-16 aircraft presented a flypast to welcome the guests, including Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who attended the ceremony as the guest of honour. The ceremony was attended by PAF principal staff officers, senior representatives of defence forces and a large number of dignitaries from the government.