President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday conferred Hilal-e-Imtiaz (M) upon Commander Royal Brunei Navy, First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Halim bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, during a special investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr. Those who were present on the occasion included High Commissioner of Brunei Colonel (Retd) Dato Paduka Abdul Jalil Ahmed, Mohammad Kamaluddin, Harun Amir Rashid Haji Lampoh and others.
Secretary General to the President M Salman Faruqui, Minister of State for Defence Sardar Salim Haider, Senator Farhatullah Babar, Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila, Chief of Naval Staff, Secretary Defence Lieutenant General (Retd) Asif Yasin Malik, Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani and other senior official were also present from Pakistan side.
The citation read on the occasion said that First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Halim bin Haji Mohd Hanifah was a sincere and close friend of Pakistan. He has played a prominent role in expanding mutual co-operation and further strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two nations.
"In recognition of his professional achievements and endeavours for strengthening the friendship and co-operation between Royal Brunei Navy and Pakistan Navy and between the two countries, President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been pleased to confer the Award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) on First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Halim bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, Commander Royal Brunei Navy," the citation said.
The investiture ceremony was followed by a meeting of the two sides. Spokesperson to the President while giving details of the meeting said Pak-Brunei bilateral relations, mutual trade and bilateral co-operation between the two countries were discussed during the meeting.
The President highlighted the existing warm relations between the two countries which were characterised by mutual co-operation and unanimity of views on regional and international issues. The President said there existed great potential to further broaden mutual co-operation of the two countries in the area of trade. He highlighted conducive business and investment environment of Pakistan which offered great investment opportunities in sectors such as energy, construction, textiles, telecom, finance and agriculture.
The President also noted the positive contributions being made by the Pakistani community in Brunei and said presence of Pakistani community in Brunei served as strong bridge between the two countries. He said that any additional requirement for manpower could also be considered by Pakistan.
Appreciating existing co-operation in the area of defence, the President expressed the hope that this would be further strengthened with the passage of time. Commander Royal Brunei Navy First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Halim bin Haji Mohd Hanifah thanked the President for the conferment of the Award and expressed the hope that the friendly relations between the two countries would further gain strength with each passing day.