In a sensitive meeting with high geopolitical undertones, US President Donald Trump welcomed Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for an exclusive luncheon at the White House on Wednesday. The meeting is timely as the United States is considering military action against Iran, a country with which it shares a 1,000-kilometre-long border.
‘Trump Worthy of a Nobel Prize,’ Asim Munir Claims
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly stated that the luncheon was arranged following Munir’s call for Trump to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Munir, she said, commended Trump for averting a nuclear war between India and Pakistan last month.
“President Trump will host Field Marshal Munir after he called for the President to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan,” Kelly stated.
Trump reaffirmed this sentiment in his public comments. “Well, I stopped the war between Pakistan – I love Pakistan – I think Modi is a fantastic man, I spoke to him last night. We are going to make a trade deal with Modi of India… And I stopped the war between Pakistan and India. This man (possibly referring to Asim Munir) was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistani side, Modi from the India side, and others. And they were going at it, they are both nuclear countries. I got it stopped,” Trump asserted.
India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have always denied this account of events, including as recently as Wednesday morning.
Trump’s Iran Comments Hint at Military Strike
Earlier today, President Trump hinted at taking military action against Iran at a White House press briefing. “I may do it, I may not do it – nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump said, keeping the international community on edge. With two American aircraft carriers, USS Carl Vinson and USS Harry S. Truman, based in the Arabian Sea and a squadron of B-2 Stealth bombers deployed from Diego Garcia, the US military looks set for a strategic campaign.
If Trump intends to proceed with an attack on Tehran, Washington may seek land access for logistics — a route Pakistan can provide.
Strategic Self-Promotion and Power Projection
The encounter also speaks to self-promotion by the two leaders. Trump continues to promote himself as a peacemaker from around the world and a power broker, citing his role in crises from Russia-Ukraine to Gaza and now South Asia.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the theater, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently promoted Asim Munir to Field Marshal, and Munir has since launched a diplomatic campaign of his own. He has sat down with several senior leaders around the world — from Turkey and Azerbaijan to Iran and now the United States — a rare exception to diplomatic protocol, which normally reserves such meetings for civilian heads of state.
Military Diplomacy: A Pakistani Tradition
Pakistan’s military chiefs have always had close relationships with US administrations. In the 1980s, General Zia-ul-Haq collaborated with the Reagan administration to counter Soviet aggression in Afghanistan. Likewise, General Pervez Musharraf allied with the US-led “War on Terror” following 9/11.
The timing today is particularly crucial. With Washington looking at Tehran, China and Beijing observing, and Islamabad’s well-known sympathies with both Beijing and Tehran, Munir’s visit takes on increased importance. China, a friend of Pakistan and Iran, has publicly supported Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei. Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has issued stern warnings, even threats of using the nuclear option, in the event of Israel’s taking military action against Tehran.