WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a rare meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss a broad range of issues, private TV reported.
Ahead of the meeting, the US president, while speaking to the media, called PM Shehbaz and Army chief Asim Munir “great” people.
The meeting will remain closed to the press. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC for a much-anticipated meeting.
PM Shehbaz, Trump exchange pleasantries
The visit, the first formal bilateral interaction between the two leaders, comes six years after former premier Imran Khan met Trump during the latter’s first term in July 2019.
In a post on social media platform X, PTV reported that PM Shehbaz had arrived in the US capital alongside a Pakistani delegation.
“Upon arriving at the Andrews Airbase, the premier was welcomed with a red carpet by senior US Air Force officials,” it said. It added that PM Shehbaz’s motorcade departed from the airbase under tight security.
Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir also attended the meeting.
Two discussed matters of mutual interest as well as regional and global situation.
Reuters adds: US-Pakistan ties have warmed in recent months under Trump after Washington had for years viewed Pakistan’s rival India as a counter to China’s influence in Asia.
Washington’s relations with New Delhi have been tested under the Republican leader over issues such as visa hurdles for Indians, high tariff rates imposed by Trump on goods from India and Trump’s repeated claims that he brokered an India-Pakistan ceasefire in May after the South Asian neighbors engaged in their latest hostilities.
The United States and Pakistan announced a trade deal on July 31 with a 19 percent tariff rate imposed by Washington. Trump is yet to reach a trade deal with India.
Officials and analysts have noted that after tensions with Washington, New Delhi is recalibrating relations with China as a hedge.
Trump welcomed army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir earlier this year, the first time a US president hosted the head of Pakistan’s army - widely regarded as the most powerful figure in the country - at the White House, unaccompanied by senior Pakistani civilian officials.
“We’re working through a number of issues when it comes to counter-terrorism, when it comes to economic and trade ties,” a senior State Department official told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday when asked about Pakistan.
“And so the president remains focused on advancing US interests in the region, that includes through engaging with Pakistan and their government leaders,” the official said.
When asked about frictions with India, the official said Trump believed in being frank about frustrations in ties but the relationship was strong. Washington viewed New Delhi as a good friend and partner and believed their relationship would define the 21st century, the official said.
They added that Washington had been working on planning for a summit of the Quad grouping of India, Australia, Japan and the United States that India had been expected to hold in November. That would happen, “if not this year, early next year,” the official said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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