NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD, Sept 26: US President Donald Trump met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir at the White House, where they discussed regional security, counter-terrorism cooperation and other issues.
Shehbaz, the first Pakistani Prime Minister to visit the White House in six years, described Trump as a “man of peace” for his “sincere efforts” to end conflicts around the globe and lauded his “courageous and decisive” leadership in facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India, according to a statement from the PM Office.
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In July 2019, then-Prime Minister Imran Khan travelled to Washington and met President Trump, who had accused Pakistan of lying and deceiving the US while receiving billions in aid. Trump had previously said Pakistan offers a “safe haven” to terrorists.
Trump’s successor, President Joe Biden, had completely ignored Pakistan during his tenure and never even talked to any of the prime ministers on the phone, let alone inviting them to the White House.
However, since President Trump took office in January for a second term, there has been a dramatic and unexpected shift in the Pakistan-US relationship. In June, Trump held a rare one-on-one meeting with Army chief Munir at the White House.
According to the statement from PM Office, Shehbaz “appreciated President Trump’s bold, courageous and decisive leadership that had facilitated the ceasefire between Pakistan and India, thereby helping to avert a major catastrophe in South Asia.”
Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim nearly 50 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.
India has been consistently maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations of the two militaries. (PTI)
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