Donald Trump says he is ‘honoured' to meet Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir: ‘I wanted to thank him for…'
In an unprecedented move, US President Donald Trump welcomed Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to the White House on Wednesday. The meeting is significant as it comes amid the growing tensions between India and Pakistan.
Praising Munir for preventing the escalation of the conflict between India and Pakistan, Trump said, "Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it..."
'Prime Minister Modi just left a little while ago and we are working a trade deal with India and also with Pakistan... I am so happy. Two very smart people decided not to keep going with the war. Those are two big nuclear powers. I was honoured to meet him today.'
India is already is in disagreement with the United States over the president's claim that he stopped the recent war between the two South Indian nations and this meeting could further strain the relationship.
Last month, Trump claimed that India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire following US-brokered talks, saying he had urged both nations to prioritise trade over conflict.
However, during a call with Trump on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarified that the ceasefire resulted from direct talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries, not US mediation, according to a statement by India's top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
The Trump-Munir meeting comes after reports speculated on the possibility of Pakistan aiding Iran during its ongoing conflict with Israel.
'They know Iran very well, better than most, and they're not happy about anything,' Trump said after meeting Munir at the White House. 'They see what's going on. And he agreed with me,' Trump said, without explaining what he meant.
A Bloomberg report said, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on said Monday that Iran is open to resuming negotiations if Israel halts its attacks, citing direct communication with his Iranian counterpart. Pakistan had signaled it may seek a role as a mediator in the Middle East conflict.
'Our intention was always to see successful negotiations between the United States and Iran,' Dar said in parliament, as per the Bloomberg report.
Meanwhile, Asim Munir, in a public address in Washington, DC, had declared Pakistan's "clear and strong" support for Iran in its war with Israel while also backing US efforts to de-escalate the situation.
The last Pakistani military leader to meet a sitting US President was General Pervez Musharraf in 2001, who did so as the nation's head of state during his tenure as a military dictator.
(With inputs from ANI, Reuters and Bloomberg)
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