Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defence, decorated Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, with King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class, in implementation of the order of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
This comes in recognition of General Bajwa’s distinguished efforts in consolidating and strengthening bonds of friendship and joint cooperation and developing Saudi-Pakistani relations, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
https://twitter.com/Saudi_Gazette/status/1540857752788111360
General Bajwa was in the Saudi Kingdom on Saturday for a visit.
The Crown Prince met General Bajwa in Jeddah on Saturday, where they reviewed bilateral relations, especially in the military fields, and opportunities for developing them. They also discussed a number of issues of common interest.
The occasion was attended by Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defence; Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Fayyad Al-Ruwaili and a number of senior officials from the two sides.
Saudi Arabian in Pakistan also broke the news through its twitter handle on Sunday morning.
https://twitter.com/KSAembassyPK/status/1540921441033527296
Another Saudi Embassy weet said “Order of Shah Abdul Aziz for General Bajwa, Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army: "The award is a recognition of General Bajwa's significant efforts in strengthening and developing Saudi-Pakistani relations."
https://twitter.com/AlArabiya_Ur/status/1540919697578905601
The ISPR also issued a statement in Rawalpindi concerning General Bajwa’s visit to Saudi Arabia. “During the visit, COAS called on Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of KSA and General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Saudi Armed Forces at Jeddah,” the statement issued on Sunday said.
During the meetings, matters of mutual interests, bilateral defence & security cooperation and regional peace and stability were discussed, it added.
As per the ISPR, the COAS said that Pakistan "values its historical and brotherly relations with the Kingdom and acknowledges its unique place in the Islamic world”.
“Both sides agreed upon enhancing defence cooperation in the fields of joint training, air defence, counter-terrorism and communication/information domain,” it added.
“They also agreed to further enhance cordial relations and deep spirit of brotherhood into an enduring strategic partnership, being vital players in the region with significant responsibility towards unity of Muslim Ummah,” the ISPR added.
As per the Saudi media, the Order of King Abdulaziz, named after Saudi Arabia’s founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud, is considered the highest civilian honor in the Kingdom.
The order was officially inaugurated by King Faisal on March 20, 1971, it said, adding that the earlier version of the order was called ‘Great Chain of Badr’.
According to Al-Arabiya, the medal has been presented to several world leaders, including former US president Donald Trump. The medal was recently given to other heads of states, including former US President Barack Obama, former French President Francois Hollande, Egyptian President Abdelfattah el-Sisi, and most recently to Chinese President Xi Jinping.