U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir at the Oval Office in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, with their meeting lasting nearly 90 minutes.
While the meeting was closed to the press, photos issued by the White House showed the prime minister and Army chief exchanging pleasantries with Trump. In another photo, Trump was all smiles as he flashed a thumbs up. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were also present.
The meeting marked the first formal interaction between the U.S. president and Pakistani prime minister. It comes six years after former prime minister Imran Khan met Trump during the latter’s first term in July 2019.
During a press interaction before the meeting, Trump said a “great leader” was coming to the White House. “We’ve got the prime minister of Pakistan coming and the field marshal … a great, great guy and so is the prime minister, both,” he said. “They are coming and they may be in this room right now. I don’t know because we are late,” he added, referring to a 30-minute delay from the scheduled start of the meeting.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said Sharif had expressed his “deep admiration” for the U.S. president during their meeting, describing him as a “man of peace” engaged in sincere efforts to end conflicts around the world. He said the U.S. leader’s bold, courageous, and decisive actions had helped facilitate the ceasefire between Pakistan and India, averting a potential “major catastrophe” in South Asia.
Sharif also lauded Trump’s efforts to bring about an immediate end to the war in Gaza, specifically citing a meeting between the U.S. president and leaders of Muslim states on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session earlier this week. He thanked the U.S. president, read the statement, for the tariff arrangement concluded between Pakistan and the United States earlier this year.
Referring to the longstanding partnership between the two countries, the prime minister expressed optimism that under President Trump’s leadership, the Pakistan-U.S. partnership would be further strengthened to the mutual benefit of both countries. He also extended an invite for U.S. companies to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture, I.T., mines and minerals and energy sectors.
According to the statement, both leaders discussed regional security, including counter-terrorism cooperation. Sharif thanked Trump for his public endorsement of Pakistan’s role in counter-terrorism and stressed the need to further enhance cooperation in security and intelligence. He also extended a warm and cordial invitation to President Trump for an official visit to Pakistan, at his convenience.
In a statement on X, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said 2025 had proved to be a year of achievements for Pakistan, including its victory over India, the signing of a defense pact with Saudi Arabia, and unprecedented progress in Pak–U.S ties. He said the success of the “hybrid system” partnership continued to bear fruit, describing these developments as a matter of pride.
Warming ties
Following the meeting, Sharif returned to New York, where he is due to address the UNGA today (Friday).
After reaching significant lows under the Joe Biden administration, ties between Pakistan and the U.S. are on an upswing, with both countries announcing a trade agreement in July under which the U.S. has imposed a 19% tariff on Pakistani goods, among the lowest in the region.
Earlier this year, Trump met Field Marshal Munir at the White House, the first such instance of a U.S. president meeting an Army chief from Pakistan without senior civilian officials present. Pakistan also credits Trump for the cessation of its hostilities with India and has publicly backed the U.S. president for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.