British army chief arrives in Pakistan on five-day visit

ISLAMABAD: The British Army’s Chief of the General Staff (CGS), General Sir Patrick Sanders arrived in Pakistan on a five-day visit, ARY News reported.

During his visit, General Sir Patrick Sanders would meet with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, alongside other Defence Engagement activities and discussions on bilateral military cooperation in response to climate change related crises would be a key focus of the visit, a news release said.

The depth and warmth of the UK-Pakistan military relationship and friendship, underpinned by a shared history and ‘living bridge’ diaspora links, was highly valued by the UK.

The existing Defence relationship includes Pakistani officers undertaking training at the UK’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the Advance Command and Staff Course and the Royal College of Defence Studies.

General Sir Patrick Sanders’ visit comes almost one year after Pakistan’s devastating floods which left nearly one third of the country submerged and affected an estimated 33 million people.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence was directly involved in providing assistance for flood relief operations, airlifting in eight boats and ten portable generators at the request of Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff.