Pak Army Media Wing Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has clarified by issuing a statement that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir is paying an official visit to the United Kingdom (UK) but not the United States of America (USA).
While taking to Twitter the DG ISPR wrote, “There have been baseless speculations on social media that COAS is visiting the USA. It is categorically stated that COAS is on an official visit to the UK from 5th to 10th February in connection with the 5th Pakistan-UK Stabilisation Conference.”
The military’s media wing explained that a conference is a bi-annual event for military-to-military cooperation between the two countries, in which senior Pakistani military leadership has been participating since 2016.
The statement added the Pakistan-UK Stabilisation Conference is a bi-annual event for military-to-military cooperation between the two countries. “Senior Pakistan military leadership has been participating in the event since 2016,” claimed DG ISPR Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.
COAS UK Visit
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has reached the United Kingdom on Britain’s Ministry of Defence invitation to discuss security-related strategic issues.
COAS landed in the UK late on Saturday night. The COAS visit to the UK is seen as highly important in view of the rising issue of Taliban militancy and the security situation in the South Asian region. This is General Asim Munir’s first visit to the UK after taking charge as Army chief at the end of November last year.
The Army chief will address the 5th joint UK-Pakistan stabilisation conference at Wilton Park between the 5th to 8th of February.
Wilton Park is an executive agency created by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to foster open dialogue between governments.
Co-hosted by UK Army Chief General Sir Patrick Sanders, the conference is themed “Regional Stability in South Asia: the return of geopolitics and other challenges.”
The conference will focus on the Russia-Ukraine war and its impact on the EU, and the UK, and its consideration for Pakistan.