Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir visits US for second time, two months after lunch with President Donald Trump

Less than two months after he was hosted to a private lunch at the White House by President Donald Trump, Pakistan army chief Asim Munir on Sunday visited the United States for the second time and held a high-level interactions with senior political and military leadership.

In his second trip to Washington since the four-day conflict with India, Munir held talks with US Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Dan Caine and invited him to visit Pakistan, reported Bloomberg, quoting a statement from Pakistan’s military wing.

Field Marshal Munir and Caine reportedly also discussed matters of “mutual professional interest”.

Munir expressed “confidence in continued collaboration to address shared security challenges” at the event, according to the statement.

Munir also held the retirement Ceremony of outgoing Centcom, General Michael E. Kurilla.

“In Tampa, COAS attended the Retirement Ceremony of outgoing Commander United States Central Command (Centcom), General Michael E. Kurilla, and the Change of Command Ceremony marking the assumption of command by Admiral Brad Cooper,” reported Dawn News, citing a press release from the ISPR.

“COAS lauded General Kurilla’s exemplary leadership and his invaluable contributions to strengthening bilateral military cooperation, and extended his best wishes to Admiral Cooper,” it further added.

In June, Munir travelled to the US on a rare five-day trip during which he attended a private luncheon with President Donald Trump. That meeting culminated in Trump’s announcement of enhanced US-Pakistan cooperation in various fields, including an oil deal.

After his meeting with Trump, Munir also had held a comprehensive and candid exchange with senior scholars, analysts, policy experts, and representatives of leading international media outlets in Washington.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Pakistan Army denied the rumours that Army chief Asim Munir plans to become the next president and called the reports ‘baseless’.

Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that the army chief has no interest in the presidency and no such proposal is under consideration, the state-run PTV posted on social media on Wednesday.

“Talks about Field Marshal Asim Munir becoming the president of Pakistan are completely baseless,” he said.