Trump to host Pak Army chief

Washington: United States President Donald Trump is set to host Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House. The announcement comes about a week after a top US military official asserted the country’s relationship with Pakistan because of its military’s role in countering the threat from Islamic State-Khorasan Province

General Michael Kurilla, chief of the US Central Command, during a hearing by the House Armed Services Committee last week, said: “The actions of our Pakistani partners that led to the arrest and extradition of Mohammad Sharifullah, the ISIS-K planner behind the 26 August 2021 suicide attack at Abbey Gate that killed 13 US service members and approximately 160 civilians, highlights Pakistan’s value as a partner in countering CASA terror EXOPs threats worldwide, and it will only increase as the Taliban continues to face security challenges within its borders.” “That’s why we need… to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can’t have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India,” Kurilla added.

US’ iterations come amid the strained relationship between India and Pakistan after a deadly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam in April this year prompted India to launch a military strike against Pakistan leading to four days of fierce confrontation in June.