Sharif, Munir at White House: Trump meets ‘a great guy and leader’ from ‘a terrorist safe haven’

US President Donald Trump on Thursday met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House. Before his meeting, Trump lauded the US-Pakistan ties and praised the two controversial visitors, calling them ‘great leaders’.

While speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump called Munir, who is known to make provocative remarks against India, a ‘great guy’. “We have a great leader coming, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the Field Marshal. Field Marshal is a very great guy, and so is the Prime Minister, both, and they’re coming, and they may be in this room right now,” the Potus told the journalists.

It is pertinent to note that Sharif was among the eight senior Islamic officials who met Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which is being held in New York. The two leaders also discussed strategies for ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

A US-Pakistan trade deal in mind?

The meeting follows a trade deal between the US and Pakistan and comes shortly after the leaders briefly met at the UN General Assembly in New York. However, Trump’s recent inclination towards Pakistan raised eyebrows, since in the past, the Republican firebrand called Islamabad a ‘ terrorist safe haven’ that has deceived the United States.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army Chief Munir had visited the US twice recently, after the country nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, unsolitiously giving him the credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire.

The Potus has frequently claimed he helped in easing out military tensions between India and Pakistan, saying he brokered peace during India’s Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied any foreign influence in the operation.

Apart from this, Trump is also looking at Pakistan as a key to renewed US interest in Afghanistan. He has highlighted the strategic importance of retaking the Bagram Air Base near Kabul, citing its proximity to China’s nuclear assets.