Pakistani Diplomat-in-chief on Mission US for 2nd time in under two months

The Pakistan-US bonhomie will get further momentum when Field Marshal Asim Munir visits the US to attend the CENTCOM change in command this month.

This will be Munir's second trip to Washington in less than two months. He will attend the farewell ceremony of US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander General Michael E Kurilla. ET has learnt Kurilla shares strong chemistry with Munir and the Pakistan military.

Kurilla was recently given one of Pakistan's highest civilian awards and had termed Pakistan a "phenomenal partner" in counterterrorism. "Pakistan has been a phenomenal partner in the counterterrorism world... Thats why we need to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India," Kurilla said during a hearing before the house armed services committee.


Pakistan has worked closely with CENTCOM for decades. On its part, CENTCOM has cultivated ties with Islamabad viewing it as an important player in South Asia much to India's discomfort, according to experts on Pakistan-US affairs.

During his last visit in June, Munir met Trump over lunch at the White House, which was the first time that a sitting US president met any Pakistani army chief. This was organised weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor. Pakistan has also nominated Trump for the Nobel peace prize for "brokering" peace with India. India had twice raised with the US its discomfort about the luncheon meeting between Trump and Munir.

Pakistan is back in Washington's decision-making circles after years of isolation amid intense lobbying by Islamabad and Washington's eagerness to reciprocate, including through a trade deal. Critics claim Pakistan has wooed the US through crypto business whose benefits are allegedly being received by Trump's inner circle.