Days after denying invitation, Trump finally agrees to meet Asim Munir..., Pakistan Army chief is in Washington for...
Days after denying invitation, Trump finally agrees to meet Asim Munir..., Pakistan Army chief is in Washington for...
Days after White House denied inviting General Syed Asim Munir to the US Army's 250th anniversary celebrations on June 14, US President Donald Trump will meet Pakistan's Army Chief, reports said. Munir is in Washington on an official visit.
The report said the Pakistan Army Chief arrived in Washington on Sunday for a five-day official trip that is 'primarily bilateral in nature' and aimed at reinforcing military and strategic ties with the United States. The timing of the meeting is critical, as it comes during an escalating high-stakes conflict between Israel and Iran.
The Pakistani military leader will meet the US leader for lunch, scheduled to take place at 1:00 PM (Washington time) on Wednesday, in the White House, according to the president's daily public schedule.
Munir is also expected to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on his US trip, according to a report by Pakistani daily Dawn.
Munir unwelcomed
However, his trip was not well received by several Pakistani nationals and Pakistani Americans, who protested outside his hotel and near the Pakistani embassy in Washington, calling for the restoration of what they described as 'unfettered democracy' in Pakistan. The demonstrations were organised by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who confronted Munir outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, chanting slogans like 'Asim Munir, you are a coward', 'shame on you, mass murderer' and 'shame on you, dictator' and ' Pakistaniyon Ke Kaati (Killer of Pakistanies)'
This is Munir's first official visit to the US since the military conflict with India following the deadly terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians on April 22. The clashes ended after Islamabad reached out to New Delhi with a ceasefire proposal. US President Trump had said that he used trade as leverage to broker a truce, a claim that India denied.
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