Trump Meets Sharif, Asim Munir; Calls US–Pakistan Relationship ‘Strong’

26 September-Kolkata, India: On Thursday, US President Donald Trump met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House. Before meeting the controversial nation’s leader, the US President praised the two unofficial meetings and also praised the relationship between the United States and Pakistan.

During an interview at the Oval Office with the various US media outlets, the US President Trump praised the Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir as a ‘great guy’, who is known for his controversial remarks against India. The Potus later gave a statement that “We have a great leader coming, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the Field Marshal. Field Marshal is a very great guy, and so is the Prime Minister, both, and they’re coming, and they may be in this room right now.”

It should be noted that Sharif is one of the eight senior-most Islamic officials who met US President Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA), which was held in New York. The two nations’ leaders also discussed about the recent Israel-Hamas issue.

A US-Pakistan deal in the upbringing

The meeting is mainly about strengthening the relations between India and Pakistan, and it comes at a very short moment after the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. However, Trump’s recent turnaround is kind of intriguing towards Pakistan, as the Republican leader is known for declaring Pakistan a ‘terrorist safe haven’ that deceived the United States many times.

On the other hand, Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir visited the United States twice, after the nation elected the Republican leader for the Nobel Peace Prize, especially for ending wars like the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.

The POTUS also frequently claimed that they helped to ease the tensions and conflict between India and Pakistan, after India responded by taking part in Operation Sindoor as a response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied allegations of any sort of foreign influence in stopping the conflict.

However, Trump has other ideas as he wants to boost the relationship with Pakistan to renew US interest in Taliban-based Afghanistan. He especially highlighted his main interest in retaking the Bagram Air Base near Kabul, as a way to stop the nuclear assets from China.