Trump Hosts Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir at White House Amid Trade and Diplomatic Talks

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House, praising them as “great leaders.”

Sharif and Munir were among senior officials from eight Islamic nations who engaged with Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly earlier this week to discuss strategies for ending the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

The White House meeting follows a recent U.S.-Pakistan trade agreement signed in July, aimed at opening Pakistan’s untapped oil reserves to U.S. investment and lowering tariffs for Islamabad.

Trump’s deepening engagement with Pakistan is notable given his previous criticism of the country as a “terrorist safe haven.” Pakistan’s army chief has visited the U.S. twice recently and even nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump has also claimed credit for reducing military tensions between India and Pakistan following India’s Operation Sindoor in response to the April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. He asserted that the U.S. encouraged both sides to de-escalate, linking potential trade benefits to reduced hostilities.

New Delhi, however, has consistently rejected third-party involvement, emphasizing that cross-border terrorism and ceasefire agreements must remain bilateral matters. Indian officials maintain that the ceasefire was achieved through direct contact between Pakistan’s DGMO and its Indian counterpart.