US President Donald Trump on Wednesday hosted Pakistan’s army chief for lunch in an unprecedented White House meeting that risked worsening a disagreement with India over the Republican president’s claim that he stopped the recent war between the nuclear-armed South Asian foes.
It was the first time that a US president has hosted the powerful head of Pakistan’s army, widely regarded as having sway over the country’s national security policies, at the White House unaccompanied by senior Pakistani civilian officials.
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.
Munir was expected to press Trump not to enter Israel’s war with Iran
and seek a ceasefire, Pakistani officials and experts said. A section of Pakistan’s embassy in Washington represents Iran’s interests in the United States, as Tehran does not have diplomatic relations with the US.
Pakistan has condemned Israel’s air strikes against Iran, saying they violate international law and threaten regional stability.
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.”
Trump had said last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the US, and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war.
Pakistan has thanked Washington for playing a mediating role, however, India has repeatedly denied any third-party mediation.
