U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday hosted Pakistan’s army chief for lunch in an unprecedented White House meeting that risked worsening a disagreement with India over the Republican president’s claim that he stopped the recent war between the nuclear-armed South Asian foes.
It was the first time that a U.S. president has hosted the powerful head of Pakistan’s army, widely regarded as having sway over the country’s national security policies, at the White House unaccompanied by senior Pakistani civilian officials.
Trump’s lunch with Field Marshal Asim Munir represented a major boost in U.S.-Pakistan ties, which had largely languished under Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden, as both assiduously courted India as part of efforts to push back against China.
Munir was expected to press Trump not to enter Israel’s war with Iran and seek a ceasefire, Pakistani officials and experts said. A section of Pakistan’s embassy in Washington represents Iran’s interests in the United States, as Tehran does not have diplomatic relations with the U.S.
