US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir over lunch in Washington, a White House itinerary shared by news agency ANI reveals.
The White House itinerary for June 18, released a day earlier, includes President Donald Trump’s daily schedule and press briefings. According to the itinerary, Trump is set to have lunch with the Pakistani General at 1 PM in the Cabinet Room.
His visit comes at a time when there is a conflict between two armed nations – Iran and Israel. Pakistan has openly expressed its solidarity with Iran and called for Muslim unity against Israel. It further warned that without collective action, other Muslim countries could also become targets, Turkiye Today reported.
Munir’s US visit marred by protests
General Munir, who is currently in the United States for a five-day visit to strengthen military and strategic ties between Islamabad and Washington, has faced protests from overseas Pakistanis and supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Demonstrators gathered outside his hotel and chanted slogans like “Shame on you, mass murderer” and “Shame on you, dictator”, videos of which are all over social media.
Nazia Imtiaz Hussain, who identifies herself as the Executive Director of The Alliance Organisation, shared a video from the protest site, stating that demonstrators were rallying against the “criminal dictator of Pakistan” and slammed those who are supporting “fascism” and betraying “democracy”.
“We’re here to protest the criminal dictator of Pakistan. Shame on every bootlicker who showed up in support of fascism–you didn’t just betray democracy; you spit on the suffering of millions,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
While sharing the video of the protest on X, PTI stated, “Pakistani-Americans in Washington, DC are protesting outside the Four Seasons hotel, reminding General Asim Munir of the crimes he’s committed against the people of Pakistan.”
Was Munir invited to the 250th military anniversary?
Munir’s visit comes after there were reports that he was invited to the 250th military anniversary that coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday.
The White House later denied reports, adding, “This is false. No foreign military leaders were invited.”
Munir promoted to Field Marshal rank
Munir was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal, the highest military rank in Pakistan, by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The promotion was justified on the grounds of his “exemplary leadership” during the India-Pakistan conflict that followed the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor. The attack was attributed to Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF).
He is only the second person in Pakistan’s history to receive this honour after Ayub Khan. While Khan relinquished his command after becoming Field Marshal, Asim Munir continues to serve as the COAS while holding the Field Marshal rank.