Trump once again praises army chief Asim Munir as ‘influential’

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1 month ago

Speaking at a press conference following the NATO summit in The Hague on Wednesday, President Trump described the ceasefire between Pakistan and India as a major diplomatic achievement. “Both countries are nuclear powers, and there was a real risk of nuclear conflict. But I made a few calls and emphasized the importance of trade,” Trump said.He added that he spoke directly with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and warned him that the United States would halt trade negotiations if hostilities continued. “I told Prime Minister Modi very clearly: if the war continues, I will stop trade. That’s how we ended it,” Trump said.Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the US president stated, “The most important issue wasn’t whether India and Pakistan will acquire nuclear weapons in the future — like we’re discussing with Israel and Iran — it was that they already had them.”

Trump credited his intervention with helping de-escalate tensions, saying, “I ended it with a series of calls focused on trade. I told them, ‘If you fight each other, there will be no trade deal.’”

He also expressed admiration for Field Marshal Asim Munir. “That general was truly impressive. The general from Pakistan was in my office last week,” he said.

President Trump had hosted Field Marshal Munir at the White House a few days ago, including a luncheon in his honour. After the meeting, Trump remarked, “It was an honour to meet Asim Munir. I invited him to personally thank him for preventing war with India. We also discussed the situation with Iran.”

Trump reiterated his close relationship with Indian Prime Minister Modi, saying, “Modi is a very good friend of mine. I told him, ‘If you fight, we won’t proceed with a trade deal.’ You know what he said? ‘No, we want to make a trade deal.’ And that’s how we stopped the killing.”

On June 18, US President Donald Trump said Pakistan “knows Iran better than we do,” as he confirmed discussing Iran-Israel tensions during his meeting with Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the White House.

Speaking to reporters following the high-level interaction, Trump emphasised Pakistan’s strategic importance in the region, particularly with regard to Tehran. “We spoke about the Iran-Israel issue. Pakistan understands Iran better than us — they’re a key player in regional peace,” he stated.

The rare one-on-one meeting, held in the Cabinet Room, was followed by a luncheon hosted by Trump in the Army Chief’s honour. A White House spokesperson confirmed that the luncheon was arranged to appreciate Pakistan’s role in regional stability and to acknowledge General Munir’s efforts in de-escalating tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours, Pakistan and India.

“It’s an honour to meet Field Marshal Asim Munir. I thanked him for not letting things spiral into war,” Trump said, referring to recent cross-border tensions that were defused diplomatically.

The two also discussed potential areas of economic cooperation, with Trump confirming that a trade agreement with Pakistan and India is currently under negotiation.

“We’re in early talks on trade — Pakistan’s concerns are being heard,” he said.