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UK General visits Kashmir areas
 Tribune News service
British Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mike Jackson (right), and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lieutenant General Hari Prasad, addressing a press conference
British Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mike Jackson (right), and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lieutenant General Hari Prasad, addressing a press conference at the Badamibagh Army cantonment in Srinagar on Thursday. — PTI photo

Srinagar, October 21
The British Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Mike Jackson, today said the UK was keen on a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.

Talking to mediapersons before concluding his two-day visit to Kashmir, General Jackson said his country was concerned over the situation in north-western part of India. The Kashmir issue needed to be resolved bilaterally by the two neighbouring countries, he added.

General Jackson, accompanied by his wife, a Defence Attache, Brigadier Ido Rees, and other staff officers, arrived here yesterday. He visited forward areas in Kashmir and also interacted with Lt-Gen Hari Prasad, GOC-in-Chief, Northern Command, and Lt-Gen Nirbhay Sharma, GOC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps of the Army.

General Jackson said a joint Indo-UK military exercise would be held during the next spring. He added that other matters of cooperation in defence were also being pursued by the two countries, which had many historical and cultural links.

When asked about the possibility of an Ireland-type formula for Kashmir, General Jackson said: “We need to be careful. There can be parallels”. He said such the situation was not only military in nature; it was political and economic as well.

“I am here to learn more about the security situation in this part of India,” he said, commenting on his Kashmir visit. He said he would submit a report on his visit to Kashmir to the Government of India. The purpose of his visit was to learn more about the situation in this trouble-torn state, he added.

Earlier, General Jackson had an interaction with the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, and the GOC, 15 Corps. The British General, with experience in Bosnia, Kosovo and Ireland, was briefed on the dimensions of the problems of Jammu and Kashmir.Back
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