President Donald Trump met Pakistan’s army chief Wednesday in Washington as the US considers supporting Israeli airstrikes on Iran, a country with a cooperative and complex relationship with the government in Islamabad.
As the leader of the military, Pakistan’s Asim Munir is widely seen as the most powerful person in Pakistan, wielding the final word on critical matters from foreign policy to internal politics and the economy.
The meeting came as the capital was fixated on speculation that the US may join Israel’s attacks aimed at disabling Iran’s nuclear program. Trump said multiple times he hadn’t made a decision on the issue, but signaled he had discussed it with Munir.
“They know Iran very well, better than most, and they’re not happy about anything,” Trump said after meeting Munir at the White House. “They see what’s going on. And he agreed with me,” Trump said, without explaining what he meant.
Ahead of the planned discussions, Pakistan had signaled it may seek a role as a mediator in the Middle East conflict.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Monday that Iran was willing to return to the negotiating table if Israel refrains from further strikes, citing direct communication with his Iranian counterpart. “Our intention was always to see successful negotiations between the United States and Iran,” Dar said in parliament.
Atomic ties between Iran and Pakistan date back for decades. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog and others have accused Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan’s atomic weapons program, of supplying Iran and others with centrifuge designs and components for a nuclear program.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a social media post over the weekend that he had spoken with Iran’s president “to express Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the brotherly people of Iran in the face of Israel’s unprovoked aggression.” He told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that “the international community should immediately make efforts to put an end to this war.”
State-run Pakistan Television Corp. confirmed the meeting late on Wednesday, citing people it did not identify. In its report, PTV described the meeting as “important and historic,” saying it reflected “growing confidence” in Pakistan’s military leadership.
Political scientist Hassan Askari Rizvi said the meeting would be the first of its kind between a sitting army chief and US leader. “It’s a kind of special gesture given by President Trump.”
Trump gathered with his national security team Wednesday, following a similar meeting that lasted more than an hour on Tuesday, fueling fresh speculation that the US is on the verge of joining Israel’s attack on Iran. American weapons are seen as crucial to achieving a more complete dismantling of the Islamic Republic’s atomic program than anything Israel can do alone.
Indrani Bagchi, chief executive officer at Ananta Centre, a Delhi-based think tank, said that historically the Pakistan army has been close to the US, which has often sought its help to manage security threats in the region.
“The Trump administration is discovering new ways or new reasons to engage the Pakistan army and Pakistan,” she said.
The Pakistani military leader was also expected to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on his US trip, media in the South Asian country reported.
“The Pakistani army chief is a powerful figure, and this army chief is especially powerful. He has a very large portfolio,” said Michael Kugelman, senior fellow at Asia Pacific Foundation. He added that the meeting with Trump could touch on issues far beyond security, including topics like crypto and critical minerals.
Deadly conflict
Munir’s high-profile visit to the White House will likely stoke concerns in India as New Delhi’s ties with Washington come under strain. India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed neighbors, in early May experienced one of their most serious military confrontations in years.
The conflict was touched off by a deadly attack on tourists by gunmen who killed 26 civilians in Kashmir on April 22. New Delhi called the massacre an act of terrorism orchestrated by Pakistan. Leaders in Islamabad have denied involvement.
Trump said he used trade as leverage to broker a ceasefire between the two rivals — an assertion India has consistently denied but Pakistan has embraced.
“We’re working a trade deal with India. We’re working a trade deal with Pakistan, and they were both here,” Trump said after the meeting with Munir. Earlier in the day, the US president said Munir was “extremely influential” in stopping the fighting last month but didn’t say what he aimed to achieve from their meeting. “I love Pakistan,” he said, repeating again that he helped negotiate a ceasefire.
A meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been anticipated at the Group of Seven summit in Canada this week as their two countries negotiate a new trade accord.
But before the expected bilateral session could be held, Trump returned to Washington a day early, saying he had to attend to the turmoil in the Middle East. Modi held a 35-minute call with Trump on Tuesday night in the US, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a video statement, with Modi telling Trump “at no time, at any level, were there any talks on issues like India-US trade deal or mediation between India and Pakistan through America.”
Indian officials had initially said that Modi wouldn’t attend the G-7. His country is not a member, but he was invited by the host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Modi was among the first foreign leaders to visit Trump after his return to the White House earlier this year and the two have spoken fondly of their good relations. The US over multiple administrations has cultivated India as a regional partner and a bulwark against a more assertive China.
US-India trade talks, however, have recently hit a hurdle, while New Delhi remains opposed to the US calls for mediation with Pakistan.
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