Munir's two-card trick: How Pakistan's crypto pitch and Nobel flattery won Trump's favour

General Asim Munir strategically engaged with Donald Trump, securing a White House lunch and praise for Pakistan's restraint with India. Munir's charm offensive included a crypto initiative involving Trump's sons, aiming to position Pakistan as a crypto hub. This move subtly sidelined Pakistan's civilian leadership and publicly snubbed India's rejection of US mediation.
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In a deft diplomatic manoeuvre that cost Pakistan little but delivered big returns, Army Chief General Asim Munir has successfully reinserted Islamabad into Washington's strategic radar, by flattering US President Donald Trump and feeding his long-standing craving for the Nobel Peace Prize.The result: a private lunch at the White House between Munir and Trump, public praise for Pakistan's restraint following a recent military flare-up with India, and a notable snub to both Pakistan's civilian leadership and New Delhi.'The reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war (with India) and ending it,' Trump said after hosting Munir. 'I was honored to meet him today.' Trump also gave credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, 'Two very smart people decided not to keep going with the war. Those are two big nuclear powers.'But with India having publicly rejected a US role in de-escalating tensions, it was Munir who ended up with the spotlight. The White House itself disclosed that the real reason for the lunch invitation was Munir's push for Trump to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for helping dial down tensions between India and Pakistan.The flattery struck a chord with Trump, who has repeatedly complained that he has been unfairly denied the honour. 'They gave one to Obama immediately upon his ascent to the presidency, and he had no idea why he got it. You know what? I got us out of wars. I made deals that nobody thought were possible,' Trump has often remarked.But Munir's charm offensive didn't stop with the Nobel. In April, he laid the groundwork with a crypto initiative that tapped into Trump-world business interests. A US-based cryptocurrency firm, World Liberty Financial (WLF), signed a Letter of Intent with the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), giving WLF the right to spearhead blockchain integration across Pakistani financial institutions. The partnership also aimed to explore asset tokenization, stablecoins, and DeFi pilot projects, part of a broader plan to position Pakistan as 'the crypto capital of South Asia.'What made the deal particularly intriguing in Washington circles was WLF's ownership: Trump's sons Eric and Donald Jr., along with son-in-law Jared Kushner, collectively hold a 60% stake in the company. The delegation to Islamabad was led by Zachary Witkoff, whose father Steve Witkoff, a long-time Trump associate, currently serves as the US Special Envoy to the Middle East.General Munir personally welcomed the group and later held a closed-door meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which helped seal the high-level access in Washington. The White House lunch, though private, was kept secret for weeks to avoid backlash from Pakistani expats loyal to former PM Imran Khan, who remains in custody under the military's watch.

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