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US President Donald Trump on Thursday met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir in the Oval Office.Before the meeting, Trump praised the visitors as “great leaders.”
Speaking to reporters, he said, “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.”Sharif was among senior officials from eight Islamic nations who met Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week to discuss strategies for ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.Poll
Do you think Trump’s meetings with Pakistan will improve regional peace?
Yes, it can helpNo, unlikely to change much
The meeting follows a trade deal between the US and Pakistan and comes shortly after the leaders briefly met at the UN General Assembly in New York.Meanwhile, in July the US and Pakistan signed a trade deal expected to open up Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves to US investment and reduce tariffs for Islamabad.Trump’s intensifying ties with Pakistan are notable because he has previously called the country “a terrorist safe haven” that has deceived the US.
Pakistan’s army chief has visited the US twice recently and even nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.Trump has frequently claimed he helped in easing out military tensions between India and Pakistan, saying he brokered peace during India's Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, has denied any foreign influence in the operation.For Trump, Pakistan is also central to renewed US interest in Afghanistan. He has highlighted the strategic importance of retaking the Bagram Air Base near Kabul, citing its proximity to China’s nuclear assets. |
