Donald Trump Meets Shehbaz Sharif And Asim Munir at White House

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff, to the Oval Office on Thursday, signaling a notable thaw in U.S.-Pakistan relations. The closed-door meeting, attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, followed a brief encounter between Trump and Sharif at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. Trump praised the visitors as "great leaders" while addressing reporters, remarking, "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." Sharif arrived at the White House around 4:52 p.m. and departed by 6:18 p.m., according to the White House press pool. Reports from news agency ANI indicated the Pakistani delegation waited nearly an hour to meet Trump, though this could not be independently verified.

The gathering comes amid efforts to revitalize bilateral ties strained for years over security concerns and accusations of Pakistan harboring terrorists. Historically, the U.S. partnered with Pakistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s and the post-9/11 "war on terror," but relations soured dramatically after the 2011 discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. In 2018, Trump publicly lambasted Islamabad, 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 last such White House visit by a Pakistani prime minister was Imran Khan's in July 2019; before that, Nawaz Sharif in 2015.

A key driver of the recent rapprochement is a burgeoning trade agreement, finalized last month, which imposes a 19 percent tariff on Pakistani imports while facilitating U.S. assistance in developing Pakistan's oil reserves. U.S. goods and services trade with Pakistan reached an estimated $10.1 billion in 2024, up 6.3 percent from 2023, with exports at $2.1 billion and imports at $5.1 billion, yielding a $3 billion U.S. trade deficit. On September 8, two memorandums of understanding were signed in Islamabad, including a $500 million investment by Missouri-based U.S. Strategic Metals in Pakistan's critical minerals sector, targeting antimony, copper, gold, tungsten, and rare earth elements—vital for defense, technology, and clean energy. This aligns with Trump's July pledge to exploit Pakistan's "massive oil reserves" and broader U.S. efforts to diversify supply chains away from China, which dominates global rare earth production.

Also Read: India-Russia Ties Strengthen as PM Modi Hosts Deputy PM Patrushev in Delhi

The improved dynamics also stem from U.S. involvement in de-escalating the May 2025 India-Pakistan military confrontation, a four-day clash triggered by a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, on April 22 that killed 26 civilians. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking nine sites in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir and Punjab province, prompting Pakistani retaliation via Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos. The conflict involved missile exchanges, drone strikes, and air engagements, with Pakistan claiming to have downed several Indian jets, including Rafales and Su-30s. A ceasefire was reached on May 10 through direct military hotlines, though Trump has repeatedly claimed personal mediation, a narrative India denies but Pakistan embraces. In June, Islamabad nominated Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, lauding his "decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis." This led to multiple U.S. hosted visits by Munir, including lunches in June and August.

The meeting underscores shifting U.S. priorities in South Asia, where Pakistan's mineral wealth—estimated at $6 trillion, including untapped lithium and cobalt—offers strategic leverage amid global competition for resources. As Sharif prepares to address the UN General Assembly on Friday, the engagement highlights opportunities for economic collaboration, though challenges like regional security and counterterrorism persist. Analysts suggest it could reshape Indo-Pacific dynamics, potentially straining U.S.-India ties amid ongoing tariff disputes.

Also Read: Low-Pressure System in Bay of Bengal Delays Maharashtra Monsoon Withdrawal