Munir's White House Welcome: Trump's Risky Bet On Pakistan's Terror-Linked General
The invitation of Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to a White House lunch with U.S. President Donald Trump has ignited diplomatic tensions, particularly with India.
Trump's claim that he brokered a May 2025 ceasefire between India and Pakistan, following a four-day conflict sparked by the Pahalgam terror attack, has been debunked by New Delhi.
India asserts the ceasefire was a direct military agreement, with no U.S. involvement. Yet, Trump persists, linking his alleged mediation to trade incentives and offering to resolve the Kashmir dispute—a proposal India has long rejected. Munir's visit, amid accusations of his role in the Pahalgam massacre and Pakistan's military attending terrorist funerals in Muridke, amplifies concerns.
Trump's narrative, bolstered by Munir's presence, raises questions: Is this genuine diplomacy or a bid for influence in South Asia? Munir's provocative rhetoric before the attack, coupled with Pakistan's overt support for terrorists, underscores his destabilising influence.
The May 2025 conflict, triggered by a Pakistan-backed terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26, escalated with cross-border strikes and nuclear threats. On May 10, a ceasefire was announced, halting hostilities. Trump claimed he mediated a 'full and immediate ceasefire" through a 'long night of talks." India's Ministry of External Affairs, however, stated the truce was negotiated directly between the Indian and Pakistani DGMOs, with Pakistan's DGMO initiating contact at 3:35 PM on May 10 due to military pressure from India's strikes on Pakistani airbases. No US mediation occurred.
Munir's role in provoking the conflict is evident: on April 16, he delivered a speech invoking the two-nation theory, calling Kashmir Pakistan's 'jugular vein" and urging Pakistanis to highlight Hindu-Muslim differences. This rhetoric, described as a 'dog-whistle" by Indian officials, preceded the attack by six days, with terrorists targeting non-Muslims, aligning with Munir's communal framing. Former Pakistani officer Adil Raja claimed Munir ordered the attack via the ISI, a charge echoed by U.S. expert Michael Rubin, who likened Munir to a terrorist. Trump's narrative, amplified by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ignores these facts, straining U.S.-India ties. By crediting himself, Trump emboldens Pakistan's military, which faces domestic unrest, to leverage U.S. support, risking further escalation in a fragile region.
INDIA'S STANCE: NO ROOM FOR MEDIATION
India has consistently rejected third-party mediation on Kashmir, citing the 1972 Simla Agreement's bilateral framework. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a June 2025 call with Trump, clarified the ceasefire was a military-to-military agreement, not U.S.-brokered. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri dismissed Trump's trade incentive claims, stating no such talks occurred. India's stance reflects its sensitivity to external involvement in Kashmir, an integral part of its territory. Trump's mediation offer, coupled with praise for Munir and Modi, disregards India's red lines, risking domestic backlash. The Indian opposition, led by Congress, has questioned Modi's silence on Trump's claims, fearing it may signal tacit acceptance of mediation.
India's rebuttal is a strategic message to global powers, cautioning against interference in South Asia's nuclear flashpoint. Munir's provocative speech and the Pahalgam attack's timing underscore Pakistan's intent to destabilise India, yet Trump's engagement with Munir ignores this context. By aligning with Pakistan's military, accused of state-sponsored terrorism, Trump undermines US-India relations, critical for countering China. India's warning against Pakistan's 'nuclear blackmail" and its diplomatic offensive, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, signal its resolve to maintain strategic autonomy, making Trump's overreach a costly miscalculation.
THE GEOPOLITICAL CONTEXT: MUNIR'S VISIT AND PAKISTAN'S GAMBIT
Munir's White House invitation, a rare honour for a military chief without civilian leaders, signals a US tilt toward Pakistan's military establishment. His visit follows his nomination of Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for averting nuclear war, aligning with Trump's ceasefire narrative. However, it coincides with damning evidence of Pakistan's terror links. At a funeral in Muridke on May 8, 2025, for terrorists killed in India's Operation Sindoor, top Pakistani military officials, including Lt. Gen. Fayyaz Hussain Shah and Maj. Gen. Rao Imran Sartaj, attended, alongside Punjab police chief Usman Anwar. Coffins draped in Pakistani flags and wreaths laid on behalf of Munir and Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz underscored state patronage.
Lashkar-e-Taiba's Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a US-designated terrorist, led the ceremony, exposing Pakistan's military-terror nexus. Munir's ties to terrorism are further evidenced by his tenure as ISI chief during the 2019 Pulwama attack and claims by ex-Pakistani officer Adil Raja that Munir masterminded Pahalgam with ISI support. Domestic protests in Pakistan, with hashtags like #ResignAsimMunir, accuse him of orchestrating the attack to deflect from internal dissent. Pakistan's support for Iran amid tensions with Israel complicates Munir's US engagement, yet Trump's outreach may aim to counter Iran via Pakistan's nuclear leverage. This risks alienating India, a vital Indo-Pacific partner. Munir's visit, alongside a Trump family-linked crypto deal in April 2025, suggests personal motives may cloud U.S. strategy, enabling Pakistan's military to exploit Trump's overtures while deepening regional instability.
Trump's ceasefire falsehoods and Munir's White House visit have profound implications. First, they strain US-India ties, critical for countering China, as India's public rebuttal signals distrust. Second, they embolden Pakistan's military, accused of backing terrorists, as seen in Muridke's state funerals. Munir's provocation through his April 16 speech, inciting communal violence, and his ISI history link him directly to terror networks, yet Trump's engagement legitimizes him. Third, the ceasefire's fragility—evidenced by violations hours after its announcement—highlights the limits of Trump's diplomacy. Without addressing Kashmir or cross-border terrorism, the truce risks collapse, with Trump's premature claims eroding US credibility. Fourth, Trump's Kashmir mediation offer inflames Indian sentiment, potentially weakening Modi's domestic standing. Globally, Trump's actions project a US administration disconnected from South Asia's realities, undermining its neutral arbiter role.
Munir's visit, framed as a diplomatic win, instead exposes Trump's transactional approach, prioritizing optics over strategy. To mitigate risks, the U.S. must respect India's bilateral framework, engage Pakistan's civilian leadership, and avoid Kashmir rhetoric. Failure to do so could fuel escalation, empower Pakistan's military-terror nexus, and destabilise a nuclear-armed region, with Trump's overreach bearing the blame.
The author teaches journalism at St Xavier's College (autonomous), Kolkata. His handle on X is @sayantan_gh. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views.
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