Field Marshal Asim Munir, the army chief of Pakistan, and United States President Donald Trump had an unprecedented one-on-one meeting at the White House, where the two leaders spoke for more than two hours, according to the Pakistani military.
The meeting, originally scheduled for an hour, was held in the Cabinet Room over lunch and then continued in the Oval Office, according to a statement released on Thursday by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
After a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May, Munir expressed “deep appreciation” for Trump’s efforts to broker a ceasefire, according to the ISPR. Trump praised Pakistan’s efforts to combat “terrorism,” according to the ISPR.
Trump spoke to reporters briefly after his discussions with Munir, but the White House did not release a statement regarding the meeting, which was held behind closed doors and without the use of photos for the media. He thanked the army chief and expressed his gratitude to him.
Trump also mentioned the ongoing military conflict between Israel and Iran, which the US president has suggested his country might join, amid the cheers and promises of a sharp uptick in relations after years of tension between Washington and Islamabad.
Trump claimed that the Pakistanis “know Iran very well, better than most people,” and that they are “not happy” with it.
According to analysts, Pakistan’s comment underscored how two crucial challenges will face Pakistan as they attempt to reestablish relations with the US. They predicted that Pakistan will have to find a diplomatic balance between Iran and the current diplomatic conflict with Israel. Pakistan might be drawn in conflicting directions by Islamabad’s close ties to China.
What were Trump and Munir discussing?
Munir spoke to Trump about “economic development, mines and minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, cryptocurrency, and emerging technologies,” according to the ISPR.
However, Islamabad acknowledged that the two leaders had “detailed discussions” about the rising tensions between Iran and Israel, with both Trump and Munir stressing the need for a peaceful resolution.
Lieutenant General Asim Malik, who also oversees Pakistan’s top intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was present for Munir.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, the president’s top Middle Eastern negotiator, joined Trump on the American side.
The lack of a media presence at the lunch, according to Marvin Weinbaum, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI), could be interpreted as implying that “none of the parties wanted photo opportunities,” according to Weinbaum.
According to Weinbaum, neither party likely wanted to reveal much about “what was discussed,” but according to Weinbaum, the US may have wanted to know about Pakistan’s influence in the current situation in Iran.
Nearly three dozen figures from think tanks, policy institutions, and diplomatic circles were present at a dinner hosted by the Pakistani embassy later on Wednesday evening. Al Jazeera spoke with a number of participants who had requested anonymity to speak about Munir’s remarks at the dinner.
One participant claimed Munir’s conversation with Trump was “fantastic and could not have gone any better,” but he claimed he had not provided any specifics about it.
According to this person, Munir claimed that relations between Pakistan and the previous President Joe Biden administration had historically been “among the worst.”
Another attendee continued to tell Al Jazeera that Munir claimed that Pakistan believes that “every conflict can be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue.” Munir also stated that the US “knows what it needs to do regarding Iran.”
Significant upswing
According to experts, the meeting is a significant boost for Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen ties with the US at the moment.
Since 1947, Pakistan has been a close US ally. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the US invasion of Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks, they both worked closely together there.
Despite the US providing more than $30 billion in aid to Pakistan over the past 20 years, it has consistently accused Islamabad of being a “duplicity” and a lacked trust in its security partners.
Pakistan has countered that Washington is constantly making demands of it “do more” without fully recognising the losses and instability that regional violence has caused Pakistan.
Munir’s visit, according to Elizabeth Threlkeld, director of the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, represents a “significant upswing” in US-Pakistan ties under the Trump administration.
Field Marshal Munir’s visit has helped to strengthen a relationship built during the recent crisis, she told Al Jazeera, “Given President Trump’s central role in shaping foreign policy and his preference for personal relationships.”
Although the meeting was significant, security policy expert Sahar Khan said, “the two countries are now friends.” It does, however, indicate a “thaw in the relationship.”
She continued, “Pakistan should consider striking a deal with Trump to prevent unrealistic demands regarding regional issues,” despite his unpredictable nature.
Munir’s advice to the Trump administration is to take the time to understand Pakistan and stop judging it from the perspectives of India, China, or Afghanistan, she said.
However, it won’t be simple to make that message stick, according to experts.
China: the actual strategic quandary
Pakistan’s most important trading partner, China, continues to have strong economic, strategic, and military ties. Beijing’s rise as a global superpower has also become Washington’s principal rival, though at the same time.
Working with both countries will put an emphasis on Islamabad’s commitment to a “no-camp politics,” according to Muhammad Faisal, a researcher studying South Asia security at the University of Technology in Sydney.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a significant infrastructure project connecting western China via Pakistan to the Arabian Sea, has received $ 62 billion in funding.
More than 80% of Pakistan’s military supplies come from China, and some of those products, particularly Chinese jets and missiles, were recently shown to be worth by their use in the recent conflict with India.
Both China and the US are important for Pakistan in their own right, Faisal told Al Jazeera. And while Islamabad may be preferred by the US and China, Pakistan’s popularity has a benefit for both.
He claimed that it “allows Islamabad to have a lot of diplomatic space” to expand cooperation with Beijing and Washington.
Iran’s challenge
Pakistan faces yet another difficult situation as a result of the recent intense Israeli assault against key infrastructure and senior military and nuclear figures.
According to experts, Pakistan could serve as a potential mediator between the US and Iran due to its proximity and ties to Tehran.
“Playing a mediating role is in Pakistan’s best interest. Given its internal difficulties, it can’t afford another adversary to invade its western border,” Khan said.
Munir and Shehbaz Sharif, both of whom are prime ministers of Pakistan, traveled to Iran last month. He made contact with Iranian military chief of general Staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, during the visit. Bagheri was one of the several military officials who perished in Israel’s initial wave of strikes on Friday.
Pakistan has vigorously opposed Iran’s right to self-defense ever since the Israeli strikes began, branding the Israeli strikes as “blatant provocations” and claiming they violate Iran’s territorial integrity.
A significant Shia minority, which consists of 15 to 20 percent of Pakistan’s population, seeks Iranian religious leadership.
Faisal noted that Pakistan’s public support for any US military intervention would be constrained by these demographic and geographic circumstances.
In order to contain the conflict, Islamabad can continue to call for diplomatic action and the cessation of hostilities. He claimed that Pakistan’s neighbors don’t want instability in Iran.
