United States President Donald Trump is set to host Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House on Wednesday, news agency PTI reported.
“The President has lunch with the Chief of Army Staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” PTI reported quoting an advisory issued by the White House.
The announcement comes about a week after a top US military official asserted the country’s relationship with Pakistan because of its military’s role in countering the threat from Islamic State-Khorasan Province.
The lunch will take place at 1 pm (local time) in the Cabinet Room of the White House, as per the advisory.
General Michael Kurilla, chief of the US Central Command, during a hearing by the House Armed Services Committee last week, said: “The actions of our Pakistani partners that led to the arrest and extradition of Mohammad Sharifullah, the ISIS-K planner behind the 26 August 2021 suicide attack at Abbey Gate that killed 13 US service members and approximately 160 civilians, highlights Pakistan’s value as a partner in countering CASA terror EXOPs threats worldwide, and it will only increase as the Taliban continues to face security challenges within its borders.”
“That’s why we need… to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can’t have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India,” Kurilla added.
The US State Department, meanwhile, reaffirmed its strong support for India’s fight against terror.
Story continues below this ad
US’ iterations come amid the strained relationship between India and Pakistan after a deadly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam in April this year prompted India to launch a military strike against Pakistan leading to four days of fierce confrontation in June.
Both the countries, after days and nights of attacking each other’s installations along the border, reached a ceasefire, agreeing to stop firing and military action.
Even as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar framed the ceasefire as the working out of an “understanding” between India and Pakistan, the United States claimed credit for brokering the same.
President Donald Trump said the two countries agreed on a full and immediate ceasefire “after a long night of talks mediated by the United States”.
