Pakistani media quoted sources stating that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is likely to visit the US President Donald Trump later this month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir will be with him.
Munir, who is instrumental in making Pakistan’s policies, has been seen standing alongside Sharif at a number of high-profile global summits, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China earlier this month. This month’s meeting comes months after Trump invited Munir to the White House, a rare step since the army chief came there without top civilian officers.
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Describing that previous meeting, Trump stated, “Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it…Prime Minister Modi just left a little while ago, and we are working on 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. They are two massive nuclear forces. I had the privilege of meeting him.”
Trump has consistently taken credit for bringing an end to the May India-Pakistan conflict, something that has been vehemently denied by India. Pakistan has even nominated Trump for the Nobel Prize.
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The conflict began after the Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, targeting Jaish and Lashkar facilities. Pakistan retaliated with missiles and drones, leading to a three-day exchange. Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10.
However, India maintains the peace as a result of direct DGMO-level talks and insists no third-party mediation took place.
This possible UNGA encounter between Sharif, Munir, and Trump is a reflection of the political and diplomatic tussle between the U.S., Pakistan, and India.
