WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD – US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the White House on Thursday, a Trump administration official told Reuters, weeks after Washington and Islamabad announced a trade deal.
The two leaders are scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks on regional and global issues, with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, also likely to join the meeting.
The White House encounter comes amid a warming of US-Pakistan ties under Trump. Relations had long been strained as Washington leaned on India to counter China’s influence in Asia. But tensions with New Delhi—overariffs, visas, and Trump’s claim of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May—haveomplicated Washington’s strategic calculus.
On July 31, the United States and Pakistan sealed a trade deal that set a 19% tariff rate on Pakistani exports, a breakthrough at a time when Washington has yet to clinch a similar arrangement with India. Analysts say New Delhi, facing hurdles with Washington, has sought to recalibrate ties with Beijing as a hedge.
Trump earlier this year hosted Field Marshal Munir at the White House in an unprecedented meeting without senior Pakistani civilian officials. It marked the first time a US president formally welcomed Pakistan’s military chief—seen—seen as the most influential figure in Islamabad.
“We’re working through a number of issues when it comes to counter-terrorism, when it comes to economic and trade ties,” a senior US State Department official told reporters Tuesday. “The president remains focused on advancing US interests in the region, and that includes engaging with Pakistan and their government leaders.”
When asked about India, the official said Trump was candid about frustrations but maintained that Washington still viewed New Delhi as a “good friend and partner” whose relationship would “define the 21st century.” Planning for a Quad summit with India, Australia, Japan, and the US is also underway, expected later this year or early next year.
Pakistan, meanwhile, has voiced support for Trump’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize over his role in defusing tensions with India. Still, Islamabad has strongly condemned Israel’s continued bombardment of Gaza, Qatar, and Iran.
Shehbaz also attended Trump’s meeting this week with leaders of several Muslim-majority countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where discussions focused on Israel’s offensive in Gaza and US proposals for peace in the region.