Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
Pakistan’s Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Khalid Shameem Wynne is on 4 days official visit of Australia
The Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Khalid Shameem Wynne is on 4 days official visit of Australia. He is visiting Sydney & Canberra. General Khalid Shameem Wynne is visiting Australia on the special invitation of the Australian Chief of Defence Staff. The Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan Tasawar Khan, Defence Advisor Brig. Zahoor Ahmad and Consul General of Pakistan in Sydney Azam Muhammed is also participating in General Wynne's visits and meetings.
This week the Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston hosted a visit to Canberra by General Khalid Shameem Wynne, Pakistan’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. General Wynne is visiting Australia for the fifth round of Pakistan-Australia Defence and Security Talks. During his visit he met with heads of national security agencies and joined the Australian Strategic Policy Institute for a roundtable discussion this afternoon. He also made a courtesy call on Minister for Defence Stephen Smith.
The annual talks are a key
pillar in Australia’s Defence Cooperation Program with Pakistan and provide
high-level strategic guidance for the defence relationship. At the Defence and
Security Talks, General Wynne and Air Chief Marshal Houston discussed the
security situation in Pakistan and our shared interest in countering violent
militant extremism there.
Both sides welcomed the recent United States operation that resulted in the
death of Osama Bin Laden. Air Chief Marshal Houston noted that this highlighted
the continuing importance of close counter-terrorism cooperation between
Pakistan and the United States and the international community.
The situation in
Afghanistan was also discussed with General Wynne. Air Chief Marshal Houston
welcomed Pakistan’s engagement on reconciliation in Afghanistan as an essential
element of an enduring political settlement in that country.
Air Chief Marshal Houston underlined the importance of Pakistan playing a
productive and responsible role in achieving a political settlement in
Afghanistan.
The talks also covered the
significant increase in defence cooperation between Australia and Pakistan over
the past few years, particularly the rise in training courses in Australia
offered to Pakistan military personnel.
Training course offers have increased from around 70 for 2009/10 to more than
140 in 2011. Australia has also increased the number of post graduate
scholarships offered to Pakistan in fields such as policing and
counter-terrorism from six to 12 positions for 2011.
Counter-insurgency skills
are a key focus of our Defence Cooperation Program and Australia and Pakistan
have developed a number of training initiatives in this area.
A particular highlight is the attendance of Pakistan military and Australian
Defence Force officers on each other’s counter-insurgency modules at the
Australian Defence College and the Pakistan Command and Staff College in Quetta.
Air Chief Marshal Houston acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts against the Pakistan
Taliban in its border regions over the past two years. He also encouraged
Pakistan to take further action in support of the efforts of the International
Security Assistance Force and our Afghan partners against the Afghan insurgents
who seek sanctuary in Pakistan’s border areas.
The events of the past week underline the importance of Australia’s defence
cooperation program and our high-level dialogue with Pakistan’s military
leadership. This is an essential element in fostering Pakistan’s cooperation
with the international community in combating violent militant extremism in
Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Khalid Shameem Wynne
General Khalid Shameem
Wynne, NI (M) was commissioned in April 1972 in an infantry battalion which was
commanded by his father, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Arshad Shameem Wynne,
during 1965 war. He is a graduate of Staff Course from Germany. As a Major he
held the appointment of Brigade Major in two different infantry brigades and
served as Company Commander in Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul.
On promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel he commanded his parent infantry
battalion, he also served as directing staff on the faculty of Command and Staff
College, Quetta. As a Brigadier he commanded two different infantry brigades
including the prestigious Siachen Brigade and served as Chief of Staff of a
Corps. On promotion to the rank of Major General in 2002, commanded an infantry
division for two years and then served as Commandant School of Infantry and
Tactics. Later, he was appointed as Deputy Chief of the General Staff at General
Headquarters. He assumed the command of Southern Command in Quetta on promotion
to the rank of Lieutenant General and later served as Chief of the General Staff
in General Headquarters. On 8 October 2010 he was promoted to the rank of
General and assumed present appointment.
The General Officer is a graduate of Armed Forces War College Islamabad and
holds Masters Degrees in War Studies and International Relations.
He is married and has a son and two daughters.
