The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army

Pakistan's self-styled Field Marshal Asim Munir was invited to lunch by US President Donal Trump on June 18, 2025 in the White House. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, "President Trump will host Field Marshal Munir after he called for the President to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan." Trump said in his remarks during and after the lunch: "The reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it.... This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side. Modi from the Indian side and others. They were going at it, and they are both nuclear countries. I got it stopped."

Donald Trump needed Asim Munir for Pakistan to support America's war on Iran – intelligence, air base(s) to strike Iran and closure of Pakistan-Iran border

The White House has hosted Pakistani Generals on three occasions: Yahya Khan in 1970; Pervez Musharraf in 2001; Asim Munir in 2025. The difference is that Yahya khan and Pervez Musharraf were Presidents of Pakistan when invited, whereas Asim Munir is only the Army Chief. It is no secret that the army has ruled Pakistan since its birth, whether directly or indirectly. But this invite to Munir was an open slap to the Shehbaz Sharif-led government of Pakistan. Why Trump personally hosted Munir is not difficult to guess, the Nobel Peace Prize being a side issue. Richard Nixon invited Yahya Khan when India's invasion of East Pakistan was certain and the US planned positioning a US Navy Carrier Battle Group off the Bay of Bengal to scare India. George Bush invited Pervez Musharraf since logistics for US troops in Afghanistan had to be moved through Pakistan beyond Karachi Port, containers and convoys were being looted, while China was providing advisors and MANPADS to the Taliban to fight US troops.

Donald Trump now needed Asim Munir for Pakistan to support America's war on Iran – intelligence, air base(s) to strike Iran and closure of Pakistan-Iran border. Trump didn't leave much to the imagination either when he said, "We spoke about the Iran-Israel issue. Pakistan understands Iran better than us — they're a key player in regional peace." America has already bombed Iran's three nuclear sites in contravention of Article 56 of the Geneva Conventions which prohibits attacks on nuclear sites due to the risk of radiation.

In April 2025, a deal was signed between a Trump family-owned firm and Pakistan's newly created Crypto Council. The closed-door meeting was held in presence of Shehbaz Sharif and Munir.

General Michael Kurilla, Chief of the US Central Command (CENTCOM)

Earlier on June 10, 2025, General Michael Kurilla, Chief of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), told the US House Armed Services Committee that Pakistan has been "a phenomenal partner in the counter-terrorism efforts, noting that despite limited intelligence support, Pakistan has actively pursued ISIS-K operatives, leading to tangible impacts on the group's activities.

Asim Munir's five-day visit to the US began on June 15. According to the Pakistani military, Munir had a series of high-level engagements in the US, meeting senior America scholars, strategic experts, and international media representatives. Officials described Munir's interaction with leading American think tanks and policy institutions as Pakistan's "principled" perspectives on evolving regional and global dynamics; underscoring Islamabad's renewed focus on international outreach amid a shifting geopolitical landscape in South Asia.

Addressing the Pakistani community in America during his visit to the US, Munir said, "We fought a war against India together with China.' He claimed that Pakistan had won the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025, and said that Pakistan will never forget the defeat of 1971, and added "we will take revenge by destroying India when the time is right".

Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Investment Minister of Pakistan has said Asim Munir was in the USA to negotiate deals on Balochistan's minerals with Trump

In April 2025, a deal was signed between a Trump family-owned firm and Pakistan's newly created Crypto Council. The high-profile team of executives, which travelled from Washington to Islamabad to sign the deal, was personally welcomed by Asim Munir, and a closed-door meeting was held in presence of Shehbaz Sharif and Munir present. Another high-level US delegation visited Pakistan to attend a meet on rare earth minerals – which Trump seeks everywhere, be it Ukraine, Central Asia, Pakistan, wherever. Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Investment Minister of Pakistan has said Asim Munir was in the USA to negotiate deals on Balochistan's minerals with Trump. The Pakistan Army said in a press note that "President Trump expressed keen interest in forging a mutually beneficial trade partnership with Pakistan based on long-term strategic convergence and shared interests."

A Canadian firm already has a deal with Pakistan for mining minerals in Balochistan. But on one hand Pakistan has given land in Balochistan for its BRI (read the CPEC) linking Gwadar Port, on the other hand its rich minerals will now be exploited by the US. The US has been ignoring the China-supported Pakistani genocide in Balochistan over the decades. Pakistan is now employing ISKP-K against Baloch fighters; ISKP was raised by Pakistan (with full knowledge of CIA) in Peshawar and pushed west into Afghanistan.

Asim Munir would have solicited Trump's help to internationalize the Kashmir issue although India is unlikely to fall into this trap. There is surprise in some quarters over Pakistan siding with the US against Iran, which is a Muslim country. But when did a terrorist country like Pakistan bother about Islam? Iran of course is Shia but then Pakistan has never bothered a million Uighur in Chinese concentration camps and Beijing demolishing mosques and constructing public toilets at the same spots.

It is now apparent that Pakistan handed over Nur Khan Air Base to the US, close to Islamabad and Rawalpindi, for storing American nukes nearby for use against Russia/China

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has admitted the country's history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations as "dirty work" for the West over the past several decades. The US is also aware of origin of the funding of 9/11 back to financial accounts in Pakistan. Pakistan was let off the "grey list" of the FATF, courtesy the US. Same goes for the IMF and World Bank loans now granted to Pakistan. To top this, Pakistan is to now chair the Taliban Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2025 and serve as Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the 15-nation UN body. Despite the so-called IMF pressure, Pakistan has hiked its defence budget by 20 per cent.

It is now apparent that Pakistan handed over Nur Khan Air Base to the US, close to Islamabad and Rawalpindi, for storing American nukes nearby for use against Russia/China. That's why when Indian missiles struck Nur Khan and Kirana Hills during Operation 'Sindoor', Trump entered the scene. It is not that Trump doesn't know his actions and utterances are not in the interest of Indo-US relations. The fact is he not the person he poses to be; recall his pledge on January 20 "my proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier" versus him fuelling the wars in Ukraine, Gaza/Middle East, and bombing Iran. Finally, India will need to be cautious about America's meddling in Pakistan and Bangladesh, which is averse to India's strategic interests.