ISLAMABAD: The British Army’s Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen, arrives today in Pakistan on a five-day defence engagement visit as part of the long-standing defence cooperation agreement between the United Kingdom and Pakistan.
During his visit, General Sir Patrick Sanders will meet with Pakistan’s Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, alongside other defence engagement activities. The depth and warmth of the UK-Pakistan military relationship and friendship, underpinned by a shared history and ‘living bridge’ diaspora links, is 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 Ministry of Defence UK 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. Discussing bilateral military cooperation in response to climate change-related crises will be a key focus of the visit.