New Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman took over command of Pakistan Air Force at a ceremony held here at the Air Headquarters on Thursday. Outgoing Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt formally handed over the PAF's Sword of Command to Air Marshal Sohail Aman.
The outgoing and incoming air chiefs were presented guard of honour to formally mark change of command.
Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman was designated as new Chief of the Air Staff by the President on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion the outgoing CAS said that last three years were full of challenges. PAF was operationally in a period that needed continuity, through consolidation, to materialise the hard work done by predecessors in planning and starting induction of various modern capabilities, he added.
He said right from evolving the concepts of employment to the operationalisation of all capabilities, the entire process went through exhaustive deliberations followed by practical application in various scenarios.
Expressing his pleasure he shared that now all concepts were being repeatedly practised and refined through regular and demanding command level bi-monthly exercises, named Hawk Eye Series.
While the responses to external challenges, in complete synergy with other services, are well in place, the PAF has been able to exploit its enhanced capabilities to play an extremely important role in supporting the valiant ground forces in their law enforcement operations.
"Beside other successes, a major and welcome dividend has been, the negligible casualties suffered by our troops during all their undertakings," he added.
Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt said, "A continual review of the development strategy and plans is an on-going process. One such review necessitated induction of pre-owned RJAF F-16s with an option to further add to the existing numbers albeit with even better capabilities."
He said after the completion of Shahbaz, the govt has been approached for initiating the establishment of PAF Base Bholari as an MOB in Sindh.
With the beginning of production of Block-II a/c, the JF-17 programme is well on its way with minor variations and a/c has already been inducted in CCS to fully realise its potential as a modern platform. Govt's consent is on its way to initiate process of configuration negotiations for Block-III a/c as well.
He said, "The Armed Forces of Pakistan are one of the more organised institutions in the country.
Today, the harmony and synergy amongst the three services as well as the understanding of each other's problems is better than ever before.
The unity exhibited during relief and rescue operations or the on-going Zarb-e-Azb certainly augurs well for making the defence of the homeland impregnable.
"I am sure, the same would, Insha Allah continue on a positive trajectory and see even newer horizons," he concluded.