Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir to Visit US Again, Second Trip in 2 Months Amid Deepening Ties
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is set to visit the United States this month for the second time in just two months, a move that signals a significant deepening of military and strategic ties between Washington and Islamabad. Munir will attend the farewell ceremony for US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Michael Kurilla, who is retiring later this month.
The visit highlights a rapidly growing bonhomie between the two nations, a development that has not gone unnoticed in New Delhi. General Kurilla has been effusive in his praise for Islamabad, recently calling Pakistan a “phenomenal partner in the counter-terrorism world” after US intelligence led to the capture of five ISIS-K terrorists.
This open admiration, and the perceived return to a policy of hyphenating India and Pakistan, has been met with concern in India, particularly as it continues its global campaign to expose Pakistan’s role in sponsoring terrorism. In a reciprocal gesture, Pakistan conferred one of its highest civilian awards, the “Nishan-e-Imtiaz,” on General Kurilla during his visit to Islamabad in July.
This renewed engagement extends to the highest levels. In June, Munir had a one-on-one lunch meeting with President Donald Trump, an unprecedented event for a Pakistani military leader without any government officials present. The meeting took place in the tense aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent “Operation Sindoor.” Trump publicly praised Munir for his role in de-escalating the May hostilities, stating,
“The reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it.” This narrative, which credits Trump with brokering a ceasefire, has been consistently maintained by the US President but firmly contested by India, which asserts the truce was achieved through direct bilateral channels. In a move seen as catering to the US President’s ego, the Pakistani Army chief backed a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Trump for “averting a nuclear war,” a nomination the Pakistani government formally submitted days later.
