Washington, Sept 26: U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to the Oval Office in Washington, DC, early Friday morning in what observers describe as a symbolic reset in Pak-U.S. relations.
The closed-door meeting lasted around 80 minutes and was attended by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, discussions were held in a “pleasant atmosphere” and covered matters of mutual interest as well as regional and global issues.
Photos released by the White House and Pakistani officials showed Trump smiling and flashing his trademark thumbs-up alongside PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir. Ahead of the talks, Trump described his visitors as “great leaders,” calling the army chief a “great, great guy” and praising the prime minister as well.
This was the first formal bilateral interaction between Trump and Shehbaz Sharif, coming six years after former prime minister Imran Khan’s White House meeting with Trump in 2019.
Strategic Context
The meeting followed weeks of speculation about a reset in Pak-U.S. ties. A senior State Department official told Dawn that relations were “gradually warming up” in Trump’s second term, stressing Washington’s “independent relationship with Pakistan” not tied to India.
The U.S. official pointed to new American investments in Pakistan’s mineral and petroleum sectors while also confirming Washington was reviewing the recently concluded Pakistan-Saudi defense deal.
The warming of ties comes as Trump’s relationship with India has faced headwinds over visa restrictions, new tariffs on Indian exports, and his claim of personally brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May. Analysts note that New Delhi has begun recalibrating its ties with Beijing in response.
Regional Diplomacy
During his UNGA visit, PM Shehbaz also met Bangladeshi Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in New York. Both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in trade, connectivity, and cultural exchanges.
Meanwhile, Trump and Shehbaz participated in a multilateral gathering of Muslim leaders, where the U.S. president discussed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and presented American peace proposals.
For Islamabad, the Oval Office meeting underscores the U.S.’s continued recognition of Pakistan’s role in regional stability, while for Washington, it reflects Trump’s approach of blending hardline trade and security policies with personal diplomacy. Trump Hosts PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir at Oval Office
Washington, Sept 26: U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to the Oval Office in Washington, DC, early Friday morning in what observers describe as a symbolic reset in Pak-U.S. relations.
The closed-door meeting lasted around 80 minutes and was attended by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, discussions were held in a “pleasant atmosphere” and covered matters of mutual interest as well as regional and global issues.
Photos released by the White House and Pakistani officials showed Trump smiling and flashing his trademark thumbs-up alongside PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir. Ahead of the talks, Trump described his visitors as “great leaders,” calling the army chief a “great, great guy” and praising the prime minister as well.
This was the first formal bilateral interaction between Trump and Shehbaz Sharif, coming six years after former prime minister Imran Khan’s White House meeting with Trump in 2019.