ISLAMABAD:
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was honoured to meet Field Marshal Asim Munir in an unprecedented White House meeting and credited him for being instrumental in stopping the war between Pakistan and India.
Trump’s lunch with Field Marshal Asim Munir represented a major boost in US-Pakistan ties, which had largely languished under Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden, as both assiduously courted India as part of efforts to push back against China.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office following the meeting, Trump said the discussion touched on several key regional issues, including Iran.
“They know Iran very well, better than most,” Trump remarked, noting that while Pakistan is not aligned with Israel, it understands both countries and their dynamics. “Maybe they know Iran better, but they see what’s going on, and he agreed with me,” he said.
Trump said the primary reason for hosting the army chief was to thank him for avoiding further escalation with India and helping bring an end to tensions. “I wanted to thank him for not going into the war, just ending the war,” Trump said.
It is rare that Trump praised any visiting foreign dignitary as most foreign leaders had very bad experience meeting the US president.
Trump mentioned that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also recently visited the White House. He said the US was working on trade agreements with both Pakistan and India. “We’re working a trade deal with India. We’re working a trade deal with Pakistan. They were both here.”
Reflecting on the broader implications to regional peace, Trump said, “That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers – big ones, big, big nuclear powers.”
He emphasized the role of leadership in defusing tensions, stating, “Two smart people… decided not to keep going with that war.”
Trump concluded by saying he was “honored” to meet the Pakistani military leader.
Asked what he wanted to achieve from the meeting, Trump told reporters at the White House: “Well, I stopped a war … I love Pakistan. I think (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) 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. This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side, Modi from the India side and others,” he did, referring to Munir.
“They were going at it — and they’re both nuclear countries. I got it stopped.”
Pakistan and India were embroiled in a four-day conflict in May, exchanging missiles and drones for the first time since both sides became nuclear powers in 1998.
The military conflict was triggered by India, which launched missile strikes inside Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack.
The two sides agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States. Since then President Trump repeatedly took credit for averting a major war between the two nuclear powers, much to the annoyance of India.
The meeting last for over two hours and issues pertaining to the Pakistan-US bilateral ties, recent India-Pakistan tensions and the current situation in the Middle East were some of the agenda items.
It was for the first time any US President hosted a Pakistani army chief at the White House. President Barrack Obama did drop in at the Pakistan-US strategic dialogue and held a brief informal meeting with the then Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani.
But no US president hosted the Pakistani army chief exclusively before. There was no official statement issued yet from the Pakistani side, but sources said the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and the army chief expected to hold more meetings with other US officials.
