Asim Munir Calls Second US Visit a ‘New Era’ in Pakistan-US Relations
Field Marshal Asim Munir calls second US visit in 1.5 months a new era in Islamabad-Washington ties, meets top US officials, diaspora, and military leaders.
Field Marshal Asim Munir has described his second visit to the United States within just one and a half months as marking a new era in relations between Islamabad and Washington, state-run PTV News reported on Sunday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief is on an official visit, engaging in high-level meetings with senior US political and military leaders as well as members of the Pakistani diaspora. The trip comes shortly after his June visit, where he met US President Donald Trump over luncheon — becoming the first serving Pakistani army chief to meet a sitting US president face-to-face. Addressing overseas Pakistanis, Field Marshal Munir said:
“My second visit after a gap of just one and a half months marks a new dimension in Pak-US relations.”
He noted that the aim of these visits was to put bilateral ties on a constructive, sustainable, and positive trajectory. He told the audience, “It is an honour for me to address Pakistanis living in the US. Overseas Pakistanis are a source of pride and dignity and are as enthusiastic as other Pakistanis.”
On regional matters, the COAS criticised India’s ambitions, saying:
“India wants to present itself as a ‘Vishva Guru’ (global teacher), but in practice, it is nothing like that. Pakistan has fought a successful diplomatic war against India’s discriminatory and duplicitous policies,”
He accused India’s intelligence agency, RAW, of being involved in transnational terrorism, citing incidents such as the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada, the detention of eight Indian naval officers in Qatar, and the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav.
On Kashmir, the army chief reiterated:
Occupied Kashmir is not an internal matter of India but an unfinished international agenda. As the Quaid-e-Azam had said, Kashmir is the ‘jugular vein’ of Pakistan.”
He added that UN Security Council resolutions on the matter remain valid and that Pakistan fully supports them.
Turning to terrorism, Munir said that many terrorist organisations from Afghanistan, including Fitna al-Khawarij, are active against Pakistan.
On economic ties, Munir revealed that a potential trade deal with the United States could bring significant investment. He said Pakistan has made “remarkable successes” in diplomacy and is implementing several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and China to boost economic cooperation. He also warned that anti-state elements are misusing social media to create “engineered chaos.”
The ISPR reported that in Tampa, the COAS attended the retirement ceremony of outgoing US Centcom Commander General Michael E. Kurilla and the change of command ceremony for Admiral Brad Cooper. Munir praised General Kurilla’s leadership and contributions to bilateral military cooperation and extended best wishes to Admiral Cooper, expressing confidence in continued collaboration. In June, General Kurilla had described Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in counter-terrorism, citing efforts in Balochistan and against groups like the Islamic State.
During the visit, Munir also met with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, discussing professional matters and inviting him to Pakistan. He further interacted with defence chiefs from friendly nations on the sidelines of the events.
