Following a lunch with Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was ‘honored’ to meet the Army chief and reiterated that Washington played a role in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India.
Field Marshal Munir has become the first serving Chief of Army Staff to meet a sitting U.S. president in Pakistan’s history—without holding political office or governing under martial law. The meeting began around 10 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time and lasted around 2 hours. Speaking to media after the lunch, Trump offered some insight into its contents.
Questioned on the meeting, Trump he was “honored” to meet the Field Marshal. On whether the talks had featured the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, he said that Pakistan “knows” Iran “very well, better than most.” He maintained Pakistan wasn’t happy about the ongoing conflict.
“He [Field Marshal Munir] agreed with me,” he said. “The reason I had him here was that I wanted to thank him for not going into the war [with India]. And I want to thank P.M. Modi as well, who just left a few days ago. We’re working on a trade deal with India and Pakistan. These two very smart people decided not to keep going with a war that could have been a nuclear war. Pakistan and India are two big nuclear powers,” he added.
According to Reuters, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump was hosting Field Marshal Munir for suggesting the U.S. president be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear war between Pakistan and India.
U.S. mediation
A day earlier, India had once again claimed that the U.S. played no role in brokering the ceasefire between Delhi and Islamabad after last month’s conflict. In a statement regarding a phone call between Indian P.M. Narendra Modi and Trump, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri claimed Modi had said the May ceasefire was achieved through talks between the two militaries, and not U.S. mediation.
Trump appeared to rubbish this, insisting he was the one who stopped the war. “Well, I stopped a war … I love Pakistan. I think Modi is a fantastic man. I spoke to him last night. We’re going to make a trade deal with Modi of India. But I stopped the war between Pakistan and India,” he said.
“This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side,” he said, referring to Munir. “Modi from the India side and others. They were going at it—and they’re both nuclear countries. I got it stopped,” he added.
Bilateral ties
In a statement on the lunch meeting, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Secretary of State Senator Marco Rubio U.S. Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs Steve Witkoff accompanied the U.S. president. Pakistan’s National Security Adviser and interior minister joined Field Marshal Asim Munir.
During the meeting, per the statement, the Army chief conveyed the deep appreciation of the government and people of Pakistan for President Trump’s constructive and result-oriented role in facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India. “The COAS acknowledged President Trump’s statesmanship and his ability to comprehend and address the multifaceted challenges faced by the global community,” it added.
Trump, it said, had lauded Pakistan’s ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability, and appreciated the robust counter-terrorism cooperation between the two states. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration in the field of counter-terrorism.
The discussions also encompassed avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation in multiple domains including trade, economic development, mines and minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, cryptocurrency, and emerging technologies. Trump, said the military’s media wing, expressed keen interest in forging a mutually beneficial trade partnership with Pakistan based on long-term strategic convergence and shared interests.
A detailed exchange of views also took place on the prevailing tensions between Iran and Israel, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of resolution of the conflict.
“President Trump commended Field Marshal Asim Munir’s leadership and decisiveness during a period of complex regional dynamics,” it said, adding Munir had extended an invitation to the U.S. president on behalf of the Government of Pakistan to undertake an official visit to Pakistan.
The engagement marks a significant moment in the ongoing efforts to reinforce the longstanding partnership between Pakistan and the United States, built upon shared objectives of peace, stability, and prosperity, stressed ISPR.