- Minister terms Trump-COAS meeting “significant milestone”.
- Pakistan’s role acknowledged, its significance recognised: Asif.
- Says US president inviting Pakistani army chief “unprecedented”.
Referring to the recent Islamabad-New Delhi standoff and improvement in the Pakistan-US ties, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif linked the country’s achievements on global, regional and economic fronts to the “current hybrid model of governance”.
The defence czar was referring to the outcomes of the Pakistan military success during recent clashes with India and the recent rare meeting between President Donald Trump and Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
Terming the meeting a “significant milestone”, Asif said in an X post: “There has never before been an example of a US president inviting and meeting a Pakistani army chief.”
He added that this is the most significant turning point in the 78-year history of Pakistan-US relations.
Commenting on the meeting, Asif said how discussion on international and regional matters during the meeting between Trump and Field Marshal Munir highlighted the importance of Pakistan.
He added that Pakistan’s role was acknowledged and its significance was recognised for resolving the issues.
He added that the revival of the national economy and India’s defeat became possible due to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Munir.
The defence czar said that the developments helped regain international attention on the Pakistan-India conflicts.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Field Marshal Munir lauded Trump for his “constructive and result-oriented role” in facilitating a ceasefire with India following last month’s armed conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The development came as the two leaders met over lunch at the White House Cabinet Room a day ago with the US president being accompanied by Secretary of State Senator Marco Rubio and US Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs Steve Witkoff whereas Field Marshal Munir was joined by Islamabad’s national security adviser and interior minister.
Meanwhile, the US president lauded Field Marshal Munir’s leadership and decisiveness during a period of complex regional dynamics further praised Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace and stability, and appreciated the robust counter-terrorism cooperation between the two states.
During the high-level huddle, which extended to over two hours instead of the initial one-hour schedule, the two sides also discussed avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation in multiple domains including trade, economic development, mines and minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, cryptocurrency, and emerging technologies.
Furthermore, the issue of ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel also came under discussion with both the army chief and the US president “emphasising the importance of resolution of the conflict”.
