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The importance of Pak Army chief's lunch at White House

National Herald | June 18, 2025 11:39 PM CST

News reports that Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir would be lunching at the White House at 1.00 pm on Wednesday (10.30 pm IST) has evoked both surprise and curiosity. It is unusual and against normal protocol for a US president to entertain the visiting army chief of a country, howsoever friendly. However, the lunch is described as ‘private’ and will be closed to the press. On paper, therefore, there is nothing official about it, which makes it even more mysterious and possibly significant.

Munir, it was initially reported, had been invited by the White House to be a guest at the US Military Day Parade in Washington on 14 June. The report was denied and it is not clear whether the field marshal was in the US on that day or indeed at the parade. On Tuesday, 17 June, however, he was spotted in Washington being heckled by a group of people who shouted slogans that called him dictator, murderer and worse as he arrived at the Four Seasons hotel.

One of the explanations doing the rounds is that the US president and his family are interested in promoting business interests, especially investments in crypto currency, in which the US president has an abiding interest. The White House knows that in Pakistan, it is the army chief who calls the shots, and is keen to cultivate him.

The other explanation being offered is that with the US actively planning to strike at Iran, it needs Pakistan’s help. Pakistan shares a border with Iran and unconfirmed reports suggest that US planes during the past few days have been using Pakistani airspace, refuelling and conducting surveillance on Iran.

A viral clip in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heard vowing that after fixing Iran, he would turn his attention to Pakistan, the only Islamic country to be armed with nuclear weapons, is also cited as a plausible reason for President Trump’s charm offensive.

Others seem to believe that the explanation is simpler. The Pakistan Army and the Central Command of the US Army operating in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf Region, Afghanistan and parts of South Asia have enjoyed an especially cosy relationship. Indeed, US central command chief Gen. Michael Kurilla told a Congressional hearing that Pakistan's Army had been a ‘phenomenal partner’ in countering terrorism.

Terrorist activities targeting US assets are likely to increase if the US gets involved in Israel’s war with Iran and the US president and his team could be looking forward to hearing the assessment of the Pakistan Army chief.

Finally, with the ‘democratic’ government in Pakistan virtually controlled by the Army, the US needs the Army to pivot away from the embrace of China. US demands on both Iran and China would be tricky minefields for Munir to negotiate. It remains to be seen if he enjoys the lunch at the White House as much as his hosts.

The invitation has evoked mixed reactions as indicated by the following social media posts:

Senior US officials often engage w/Pakistani army chiefs, but rarely is one hosted at the White House by the US President. One of many reasons why Munir’s scheduled meeting with Trump is so significant-and especially as his administration considers its options re the war in Iran. The scheduled Trump-Munir meet shouldn’t only be seen through the lens of the Israel-Iran war. There’s been US-Pak engagement on critical minerals, crypto, CT. Trump takes a deep personal interest in all of these. And Munir is empowered to talk about it all. Also, Kashmir. Michael Kugelman, South Asia Analyst
No sane Pakistani should be happy with this meeting. It re-emphasises US habit of preferring to deal with our army rather than politicians. It will have a bad impact on our already precarious civil-military equation and may mean that Pakistan may again become part of dubious US military strategies. The fact that we may get some operational (military or diplomatic) crumbs from this meeting cannot compensate for the much larger strategic losses. and the fact that this is happening on a day when US is poised to attack Iran, which may also destabilise Pakistan given the shared border, makes it even worse. Niaz Murtaza, Pakistani commentator
Unprecedented. Could mean one of two things: Trump checking Pakistani military’s reaction to US entry & expanded combat in Iran; or Trump has already decided to go after Fordow nuclear plant in Iran & remnants of Iranian nuclear programme and Pakistani cooperation is needed. K.C. Singh, former Indian diplomat and Ambassador

Field Marshal Asim Munir, the man whose inflammatory, incendiary and provocative remarks were linked directly to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attacks, is having lunch with President Trump in the White House. President Trump himself has trumpeted 14 times that he brought about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan meaning he ended Operation Sindoor. Gen. Michael Kurilla, the US Central Command Chief calls Pakistan a 'phenomenal' partner in counter-terrorism operations. This is a triple jhatka to Howdy Modi by Namaste Trump! Jairam Ramesh, Congress Rajya Sabha MP
President Trump hosting Pakistan army chief Asim Munir at the White House for a private, closed-door luncheon is a potent geopolitical signal — chiefly aimed at New Delhi. Iran will likely feature in the discussions, but Munir’s invitation to the U.S. predates Israel’s preemptive war against Iran.
Just weeks after India’s military operation forced Pakistan to seek a ceasefire, Trump’s decision to welcome Pakistan’s most powerful figure signals an effort to normalize Islamabad’s standing — and potentially revive Cold War–era U.S.-Pakistan strategic collaboration. This meeting may mark a return to the old American playbook of balancing U.S. relations with India and Pakistan.
By hosting the leader of the institution that wields de facto power in Pakistan, Trump is implicitly legitimizing the Pakistan army’s role — not only domestically but also in shaping regional security. Brahma Chellaney, author, commentator & analyst