Washington D.C. (TDI): President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, invited Pakistan’s Field Marshal and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir for lunch at the White House, on Wednesday.
During the meeting, US State Secretary Marco Rubio and Trump’s Envoy for Middle East Steve Witkoff were also present.
After the meeting, which took place in closed door setting, President Trump told reporters “This man was extremely influential in stopping it (the war) from the Pakistan side. Two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war”.
While answering a question about why this meeting was called, Trump said “I wanted to thank him for not going into the war.. I was honored to meet Munir”
Reporters also asked Trump if the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict also surfaced during the talks, to which Trump responded, “They (Pakistan) know Iran very well, better than most, and they’re not happy about anything. It’s not that they’re bad with Israel. They know them both, actually, but they know Iran better”.
Today, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, will meet with @realDonaldTrump over lunch, a positive step in Pakistan US relations. Especially given the president’s role in mediating a ceasefire.
Following Pakistan’s decisive victory in the recent five-day…
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) June 18, 2025
Before the meeting took place, Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who led the Pakistani delegation to Washington, London and Brussels, earlier this month, wrote on social media app X: “Field Marshal Asim Munir, will meet with Donald J. Trump over lunch, a positive step in Pakistan US relations. Especially given the president’s role in mediating a ceasefire”
Defense Minister of Pakistan, Khwaja Asif, also took to X to share his thoughts about the meeting: “This is the first time that a US President has invited and met a Pakistani Army Chief. This is the most important turning point in the 78-year history of relations. The way international and regional issues were discussed in this meeting highlighted the importance of the beloved homeland”.
فیلڈ مارشل عاصم منیر اور صدر ٹرمپ کی ملاقات پاک امریکہ تعلقات میں ایک سنگ میل ھے۔ اس سے پہلے امریکہ صدر کی پاکستانی آرمی چیف کی دعوت اور ملاقات کی مثال نہیں یہ تعلقات کی 78سال کی تاریخ سب سے اھم موڑ ھے۔ اس ملاقات میں جسطرح بین الاقوامی اور خطہ کے معاملات زیر بحث آۓ اس سے وطنُ…
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) June 19, 2025
This lunch in the White House was the first ever private lunch between the US President and Pakistan’s military chief, who was recently promoted to five star rank because of his exceptional handling of May’s confrontation with India.
This was also the first time a serving Pakistani military chief was formally invited to the White House.
An IR student whose interest lies in diplomacy and current affairs and a part time debater
