Trump Hosts Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir at White House: A New Chapter in US-Pakistan Relations

Washington: US President Donald Trump welcomed Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the Oval Office on Thursday for a significant diplomatic meeting. Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan's Army Chief who had previously been hosted by Trump for lunch at the White House earlier this summer, accompanied Sharif. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also in attendance.

Prior to the meeting, Trump expressed warm sentiments toward his visitors, referring to them as "great leaders," signaling an improvement in US-Pakistan relations. "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," Trump remarked to reporters.

This meeting followed a recently established trade agreement between the United States and Pakistan. It also came shortly after a brief encounter between Trump and Sharif at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, where the US president held a multilateral meeting with leaders from various nations including Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye.

Sharif arrived at the White House at approximately 4:52 pm and was greeted by senior administration officials. According to reports, the Pakistani delegation waited nearly 30 minutes as Trump completed signing executive orders and speaking to reporters. The Pakistani PM's motorcade was observed leaving the White House around 6:18 pm, as noted by the White House press pool.

The relationship between the US and Pakistan has experienced significant shifts over time. Historically, the United States viewed Pakistan primarily as a strategic security partner in South Asia, particularly during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and later during the "war on terror." However, this relationship deteriorated as evidence emerged of Pakistan's support for terrorism, especially after American forces discovered Osama bin Laden living in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

In 2018, Trump himself had criticized Pakistan, claiming that Islamabad had provided Washington with "nothing but lies and deceit" and stating, "We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting...It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace."

The current warming of relations appears connected to new economic opportunities. Earlier this month, on September 8, senior officials from both nations signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) at Sharif's residence, with one agreement focusing on Pakistan supplying critical minerals and rare earth elements to the US. An American firm has committed to investing $500 million in Pakistani minerals, following Trump's July pledge to assist Pakistan in developing its "massive oil reserves."

The new trade agreement involves a 19 percent tariff on Pakistani imports and facilitates Washington's assistance in developing Pakistan's oil reserves. US-Pakistan trade has shown growth, with goods and services trade totaling an estimated $10.1 billion in 2024, representing a 6.3 percent increase from 2023.

Another factor contributing to the improved relations is Pakistan's attribution of a ceasefire with India to Trump's intervention. Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for ending the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, although India has consistently denied this assertion. Pakistan initially denied this claim as well but later endorsed it and nominated Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his "decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis."

Pakistan's diplomatic approach appears to be yielding results, with Washington hosting Field Marshal Munir three times in recent months, particularly following military tensions between India and Pakistan in May. The last Pakistani prime minister to visit the White House before Sharif was Imran Khan, who met with Trump in July 2019 on an "official working visit." Prior to that, Sharif's brother Nawaz Sharif visited the White House in 2015 during his tenure as prime minister.