WASHINGTON – June 19: Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House today for a private lunch, as part of his official five-day visit to the United States.
The high-profile meeting, scheduled to take place in the Cabinet Room at 10 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time, is listed on the U.S. president’s public agenda and will be closed to the media.
This visit follows last month’s tense aerial engagement between India and Pakistan, which significantly escalated regional tensions. Field Marshal Munir’s trip comes amid renewed international attention on South Asia and efforts to reset strategic alignments.
Elevated recently to the five-star rank — the first such appointment in Pakistan since 1959 — Munir has drawn significant attention during his U.S. tour. Speaking to the Pakistani-American community in Washington, he urged India to abandon hegemonic ambitions and engage with its neighbors “as a civilised nation.”
Rejecting Indian allegations linking Pakistan to the recent Pahalgam attack, Munir called them a baseless justification for cross-border aggression. “We would rather embrace martyrdom than accept this dishonour,” he said during a well-attended event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown, where he was warmly welcomed with rose petals and slogans of support. Outside the venue, PTI-aligned protesters demanded democratic reforms and the release of political detainees in Pakistan.
Addressing global developments, Munir also voiced solidarity with Iran in its ongoing conflict with Israel, while backing U.S. mediation efforts. “We want this war to end immediately,” he said.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari welcomed the meeting between Munir and Trump, calling it a “positive step” in advancing Pakistan-U.S. relations. He noted Trump’s role in facilitating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan earlier this year and praised continued diplomatic engagement.
“India, unfortunately, has resisted all initiatives for lasting peace, including U.S.-led diplomacy,” Bilawal said. He emphasized that while Pakistan does not seek conflict, its willingness for peace should not be mistaken for weakness.
“Pakistan is not desperate for dialogue, but we know peace serves both nations. There is no military solution to our disputes,” he added. He also condemned India’s policies on water sharing, the Kashmir conflict, and its handling of counterterrorism efforts, calling them “unsustainable.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Michael Kurilla has also lauded Pakistan’s role in counterterrorism. In testimony before Congress, Kurilla described Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in combating Daesh-Khorasan (Daesh-K), highlighting recent operations in which Pakistani forces, with U.S. intelligence support, captured and extradited key operatives, including Mohammad Sharifullah — a planner of the 2021 Kabul airport bombing.
“Field Marshal Munir personally called me after the arrest, saying, ‘I’ve caught him — ready to extradite him back to the U.S.,’” Kurilla told lawmakers, confirming that Sharifullah was handed over to U.S. authorities.
Kurilla praised Pakistan’s continued military operations along the Afghan border, despite facing over 1,000 terror incidents in the past year. “They have been a phenomenal partner in the counterterrorism world,” he reiterated.
During his address to the diaspora, Munir also commended overseas Pakistanis for their contributions to the national economy and dismissed concerns over brain drain, calling expatriate engagement “one of Pakistan’s greatest assets.”
