The former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has acclaimed a meeting that is due today between the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the Syed field marshal also as a “positive step” in bilateral relations between the United States and Pakistan.
In a significant and unexpected diplomatic development, Trump is scheduled to receive the Army Chief to have lunch at the White House. The meeting, included in the president’s official calendar, will be held in the Cabinet Room and will be closed to the press.
Lunch is seen in Islamabad as an important diplomatic victory, particularly because earlier this month, an Indian delegation met with the vice president of the United States, JD Vance, and the Indian media described him as a diplomatic success, contrasting him with the apparent inability of the Paquistaní delegation to ensure a similar meeting. General Munir’s invitation to the White House is now being projected by officials in Islamabad as a diplomatic counterpoint for those narratives.
Call the website, describing yourself as the “News source in Capitol Hill,” said lunch should deliver to the 1 PM (10 PM PKT).
When addressing development, the president of the PPP said: “Today, the head of personnel of the Pakistan army staff, also Munir, will meet with Donald Trump during lunch, a positive step in the relations between Pakistan.
“After the decisive victory of Pakistan in the recent five -day war, India unfortunately has resisted all efforts towards permanent peace, including diplomacy led by the United States.”
He said that Pakistan did not seek conflict or was “desperate for dialogue.” However, Bilawal said Pakistan acknowledged that peace was in the interest of both nations.
“There is no military solution to our disputes. The Water weapon of India, the repression in Kashmir and the politicization of terrorism are unsustainable positions. The forward path lies in honest diplomacy, not denial.”
Meanwhile, Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst based in Washington, emphasized that the meeting should not be seen only in the context of Iran-Israel’s conflict.
“There has been a commitment from the USA in critical minerals, cryptography, counterterrorism. Trump takes a deep personal interest in all this. And Munir is empowered to talk about everything. Besides, Kashmir.”
This development also marks a remarkable success for Pakistan in the ongoing diplomatic contest that followed the air combat last month with India, a confrontation that led Asia del Sur dangerously close to the nuclear conflict. Munir is in the United States on an official five -day visit.
The Munir Marshal, who was elevated to the rare rank of five stars from Pakistan last month, the first promotion of this type from Ayub Khan in 1959, has appeared in the headlines during his trip, urging India to interact with Pakistan “as a civilized nation”, instead of trying to impose a regional hegemony.
Speaking to members of the Pakistani American community on Monday night, he strongly rejected the Indian statements that Pakistan was behind the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, qualifying him as a pretext for cross -border aggression. He accused India of trying to establish a “new normality” of violating international borders, which Pakistan had strongly rejected. “We prefer to hug the martyrdom than to accept this dishonor,” he said.
The interaction at the Four Seasons hotel in the Washington Georgetown neighborhood attracted a large and enthusiastic crowd, with supporters who bathed the army chief with rose petals and slogans singing in their praise. The protesters aligned with the PTI opposition party demonstrated outside, asking for democratic reforms and the release of imprisoned leaders, but their voices drowned largely within the place.
In his comments, Munir also approached the broader regional landscape, declaring the “clear and strong” support of Pakistan to Iran in his war with Israel, while supporting the efforts of the United States to reduce the situation. “We want this war to end immediately,” he said.
However, one of the most consistent developments during Munir’s visit has been the strengthened anti-terrorism association of Pakistan with the United States, particularly against the Khorasan Group (IS-K) of the militant Islamic State. On Tuesday, General Michael Kurilla, head of the United States Central Command, described Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in the fight against IS-K, praising Islamabad’s operations along the border between Pakistan-Fanganistan.
General Kurilla revealed to the Chamber’s Armed Services Committee that Pakistani operations, backed by American intelligence, had killed dozens of IS-K militants and captured multiple individuals of high value, including Mohammad Sharifullah, one of Abbey Gate’s bombing teachers in Kabul who killed 13 US troops.
“The first person Munir called was me,” said General Kurilla. “He said: ‘I have caught him, ready to extradite him back to the United States. Please tell the Secretary of Defense and the President’.” Sharifullah was immediately extradited.
In a separate statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kurilla said that Pakistan had carried out “dozen of operations” to dismantle the presence of IS-K in the border regions and continues to play a fundamental role in counteracting terrorism in the center and southern Asia.
The comments of the Centcom head reflect a growing recognition in Washington that Pakistan is still essential for regional stability. As Kurilla pointed out, while the Taliban have pushed the IS-K militants to tribal areas, these sanctuaries still allow the group to plan and plan attacks not only against regional allies, but also of the US homeland.
Despite the security challenges that Pakistan faces, including more than 1,000 terrorist attacks only last year, which claimed the lives of some 700 security personnel and 2,500 civilians, General Kurilla said that Pakistan “has been a phenomenal partner in the anti -terrorist world.”
During his interaction with the diaspora community, General Munir emphasized Pakistan’s gratitude for the role played by Pakistani abroad in the reinforcement of the national economy. He dismissed the concerns about brains, describing it instead as a “brain gain.”
He avoided discussing internal policy directly, and when an assistant tried to criticize former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Munir discouraged him. When another guest jokingly suggested that political opponents may need their “fixed software”, the general replied that democratic societies must protect the right to dissent.
The night concluded with promises of a renewed commitment of both the head of the army and the diaspora to work towards a stronger and more resistant Pakistan.
