Washington, DC [US], June 19 : US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) hosted Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House for a lunch meeting, praising Munir for his role in preventing the escalation of the conflict between India and Pakistan.
Trump said, "Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it..."
The luncheon meeting took place amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, with Trump considering possible US involvement.
South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman pointed out the significance of the meeting in a post on X.
"Senior US officials often engage with Pakistani Army Chiefs, but rarely is one hosted at the White House by the US President. One of many reasons why Munir's scheduled meeting with Trump is so significant, especially as his administration considers its options regarding the war in Iran," he posted on X.
"For what it's worth, the scheduled Trump-Munir meeting shouldn't only be seen through the lens of the Israel-Iran war. There's been US-Pak engagement on critical minerals, crypto, and Counter Terrorism. Trump takes a deep personal interest in all of these. And Munir is empowered to talk about it all. Also, Kashmir," he added.
Meanwhile, Trump once again claimed credit for stopping a "war" between India and Pakistan, while praising both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Army chief General Asim Munir for their roles in de-escalating tensions in May.
"Prime Minister Modi just left a little while ago and we are working a trade deal with India and also with Pakistan... I am so happy. Two very smart people decided not to keep going with the war. Those are two big nuclear powers. I was honoured to meet him today," said Trump.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Trump late on Tuesday that the ceasefire was achieved through talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries and not US mediation, India's foreign secretary Vikram Misri said earlier on Wednesday.
The last Pakistani military leader to meet a sitting U.S. President was General Pervez Musharraf in 2001, who did so as the nation's head of state during his tenure as a military dictator.
The Trump-Munir meeting comes after reports speculated on the possibility of Pakistan aiding Iran during its ongoing conflict with Israel.
Asim Munir, in a public address in Washington, DC, had declared Pakistan's "clear and strong" support for Iran in its war with Israel while also backing US efforts to de-escalate the situation.
The Dawn reported that one of the most consequential developments during Munir's visit, however, has been Pakistan's strengthened counterterrorism partnership with the United States, particularly against the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) group.
Earlier, overseas Pakistanis protested against Field Marshal Asim Munir outside an event at a hotel in Washington, DC. People shouted slogans "Pakistanio ke Qatil" and "Islamabad ke Qatil" while Munir was being welcomed at the event.
While sharing the video of the protest on X, Pak Tehreek-e-Insaaf (Imran Khan's party) stated, "Pakistani-Americans in Washington, DC are protesting outside the Four Seasons hotel, reminding General Asim Munir of the crimes he's committed against the people of Pakistan."
The video showed a screen which had Asim Munir's photo along with the message which read, "Mass Murderer Asim Munir", "Democracy dies when guns speak", and Asim Munir, your time is up. Pakistan will rise."
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