Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, who is on a visit to America, met US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. It was Trump who had called Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir for a lunch meeting at the White House on Wednesday. Where he also praised Asim Munir for preventing the conflict between India and Pakistan from escalating (Asim Munir US visit).
Trump said in the lunch meeting that I called Munir here because I wanted to thank the Pakistan Army Chief for stopping the war with India and ending it. This was the first time a US President was having a lunch meeting with the Pakistan Army Chief. Munir is widely believed to have influence over the country’s national security policies. It also comes amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, with Trump exploring possible Washington’s involvement. Islamabad is known for its close ties with Tehran.
The US President said he thanked Munir for ending the war with India, for which he also praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom he spoke on Tuesday night. “Two very smart people decided not to continue that war; that could have been a nuclear war,” he said. Trump said he was honoured to meet Munir and the two discussed Iran, which he said Pakistan knows better than anyone. “They (Pakistani leadership) know Iran very well, better than most,” he told reporters.
However, Pakistan condemned Israel’s air strikes against Iran, saying they violate international law and threaten regional stability. The lunch in the Cabinet Room of the White House lasted for more than an hour. The Pakistan Army chief was accompanied by ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Malik at the meeting.