Trump Hosts Pak PM, Army Chief At White House, Calls Them 'Great Leaders'

Washington, D.C - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks at the White House, a meeting seen as a sign of improving relations between Washington and Islamabad after years of strained ties.

The visit, Sharif's first to the White House as prime minister, comes just days after he and Trump held an informal exchange on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Sharif also participated in Trump's multilateral session with leaders from eight Islamic-Arab countries, including Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, on strategies to end the war in Gaza.

Speaking with reporters ahead of the meeting, Trump praised both Sharif and Pakistan's military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, calling them“great leaders.”“We have a great leader coming, the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Field Marshal. Field Marshal is a very great guy, and so is the Prime Minister, both,” Trump said outside the Oval Office.

Sharif arrived at the White House around 4:52 p.m. and was greeted by senior administration officials. His motorcade departed at 6:18 p.m., according to the White House press pool. The meeting was also attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

A Diplomatic Thaw

U.S.–Pakistan relations had been fraught in recent years, but Islamabad has credited Trump for what it calls his“decisive intervention” during the latest military standoff with India. Trump has repeatedly claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed rivals, a claim firmly denied by New Delhi.

Pakistan has gone so far as to nominate Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize“in recognition of his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis.”

The diplomatic thaw began in June when Trump hosted Field Marshal Munir for a working lunch at the White House. That visit covered a broad agenda, from trade and economic development to emerging sectors such as cryptocurrency. In August, Munir returned to Washington, where Pakistan secured a U.S. commitment of $500 million in investment aimed at developing the country's critical minerals sector.

Economic Cooperation

Thursday's meeting also builds on new economic ties. In July, Washington and Islamabad finalized a trade deal that introduced a 19 percent tariff on Pakistani imports and included U.S. assistance for Pakistan to tap into its oil reserves.

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