Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, was set to arrive in Washington on Thursday, three weeks after his country’s flare-up with neighbouring, nuclear-armed rival India.
Munir will stay in the US until June 18 and is expected to attend the US Army’s 250th anniversary celebrations on June 14 in the nation’s capital – a day that coincides with US President Donald Trump’s birthday, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The Pakistani general is likely during his visit to travel to US Central Command’s headquarters in Florida, a source said.
The visit, reportedly made at the Trump administration’s invitation, is also expected to include high-level meetings at the State Department and the Pentagon.
While officials have kept the agenda under wraps, analysts have said Munir’s acceptance of the invitation indicates Islamabad’s wish to recalibrate its relationship with Washington amid increasing US-India strategic alignment and America’s growing concerns over China’s global footprint.
US-Pakistan ties have cooled in recent years as Washington deepened its partnership with India, viewing New Delhi as a key counterweight to Beijing in the Indo-Pacific. In contrast, Islamabad has been perceived as drifting closer to China, a perception Pakistan’s leadership is eager to challenge.
