New York/Islamabad: US President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House for talks on bilateral relations.
Speaking to reporters after signing a series of executive orders, Trump said, “We have a great leader coming—the prime minister of Pakistan—and the field marshal of Pakistan. Both are great men, and they’re coming.”
This marked the first formal meeting between Trump and Sharif, coming six years after former premier Imran Khan met Trump during his first term in July 2019. Sharif is currently in New York for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), where he is scheduled to address the General Debate on Friday.
The Oval Office talks, which also included Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, lasted around 80 minutes and were described by Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office as being held in a “pleasant atmosphere.” The meeting, closed to the press, began about half an hour later than scheduled due to Trump’s earlier commitments.
Photos released after the talks showed Trump smiling and giving his signature thumbs-up pose alongside Sharif and Munir. Sharif had previously interacted with Trump on Tuesday during a multilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA with leaders from Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
Radio Pakistan earlier reported that the discussions would cover issues of mutual interest as well as regional and global developments. Sharif arrived at the White House at 4:52 pm local time and departed around 6:18 pm.
Trump, in his public remarks, reiterated his claim of having “stopped seven wars” and again highlighted his role in mediating the recent India-Pakistan ceasefire. Pakistan has nominated Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his “decisive diplomatic intervention” during the crisis. Since announcing on May 10 that Washington had helped broker a “full and immediate” ceasefire, Trump has repeated the claim nearly 50 times. India, however, maintains the truce was agreed upon through direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations of the two countries.
The last Pakistani leader to visit the White House was Imran Khan in 2019, preceded by Nawaz Sharif in 2015. While the US and Pakistan were once close Cold War allies and partners in Afghanistan, relations soured over Islamabad’s alleged links with the Taliban and the 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil.
Despite past tensions, economic ties remain strong. A new trade agreement imposes a 19% tariff on Pakistani imports while allowing US support for developing Pakistan’s oil reserves. Bilateral goods and services trade reached USD 10.1 billion in 2024, up 6.3% from the previous year. US exports to Pakistan were valued at USD 2.1 billion, while imports stood at USD 5.1 billion, leaving Washington with a USD 3 billion trade deficit—a 5.9% increase over 2023.
