Speculations surrounding COAS visit to US 'baseless', clarifies ISPR

RAWALPINDI: The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Thursday clarified that speculations over Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir's visit to the United States of America are "baseless".

The military's media wing, in a series of tweets, said: "There have been baseless speculations on social media that COAS is visiting USA." 

The ISPR added that the army chief is on an official visit to the United Kingdom (UK) from 5 to 10 February in connection with the 5th Pakistan-UK Stabilisation Conference.

The military's media wing explained that the 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 visit is seen as highly important in view of the rising issue of Taliban militancy and the situation in the South Asian region. This is Gen Munir’s first visit to the UK after taking over as Pakistan's powerful army chief at the end of November last year.

The conference will also focus on the Ukraine war's impact on the EU, the UK, and its consideration for Pakistan.

The COAS will visit the headquarters of the British military and address senior military commanders including the UK army chief. According to a source, Gen Munir will also address a security think-tank towards the end of his visit.

The ISPR's statement came just hours after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked to comment on the army chief's speculated visit to the United States.

"We are not aware of the army chief’s trip to the US. ISPR could inform better on this matter," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told journalists during her weekly press briefing