‘Hit Ambani, Adani business hubs’: Pakistani businessman Sajid Tarar’s claim stirs controversy

Sajid Tarar, founder of Muslims of America, was filmed saying the Pakistan Army might shift strategy from low-intensity attacks near the Line of Control to targeting India’s business centres. In the video, he gloated that figures such as Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani could become direct targets. He argued that such moves would inflict significant economic and human losses, in contrast to limited damage along the border.

The video has been widely shared and has drawn both diplomatic concern and public criticism, not least because of Tarar’s political connections in the United States.

Munir’s warning in Tampa

At a private dinner in Tampa attended by about 120 members of the Pakistani diaspora, Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir added fuel to the fire. He warned that India’s economic assets were on the radar, naming Ambani’s Jamnagar refinery specifically. He also suggested Indian dams could be struck in the event of a wider conflict. These remarks have sharpened already tense exchanges between the two countries.

Trump–Munir lunch meeting

Tarar is also believed to have arranged a rare lunch meeting between Munir and former US President Donald Trump at the White House. The event was notable because it was the first time a US president hosted Pakistan’s army chief, who is widely seen as one of the most powerful figures in Pakistan’s security establishment.

Speaking at the lunch, Trump said, “Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it…”

The meeting, held in the Cabinet Room and lasting over an hour, was also attended by Pakistan’s ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Malik. It came just days after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on 10 May, following four days of missile and drone attacks across the border.

Reports suggest Trump used the opportunity to put forward a series of demands and offers to Pakistan, covering military cooperation, strategic support, and potential access to American defence technology. The absence of Pakistan’s civilian representatives at such a high-level meeting drew criticism back home.

Who is Sajid Tarar?

Born in Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab, Tarar moved to the United States in the late 1980s or 1990s. He studied law at the University of Baltimore before gaining American citizenship. Today he runs Maximus Investment Group, focusing on finance and real estate, and also heads the Centre for Social Change, a non-profit in Maryland working on community services.

Tarar is best known for his support of Donald Trump. In 2016 he founded American Muslims for Trump, gaining visibility at Republican National Conventions where he defended Trump’s policies. His son also worked at the US State Department during Trump’s first term, signalling deep connections in Washington.

Interestingly, Tarar has not always taken a hard line on India. He has previously praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and backed peace initiatives between India and Pakistan. His recent comments about targeting Indian business interests stand in stark contrast to those earlier positions.

The Trump–Munir meeting took place while Washington was already navigating another crisis. Israel and Iran were locked in a cycle of attacks. Israeli strikes hit Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, while Iranian missiles damaged a hospital in southern Israel and struck residential areas in Tel Aviv, injuring more than 200 people.

Pakistan openly condemned Israel’s actions. Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesman for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “This is for us a very serious issue what is happening in our brotherly country of Iran. It imperils the entire regional security structures, it impacts us deeply.”

With Trump weighing whether the US would join Israel’s campaign against Iran, the simultaneous focus on Pakistan and India underscored the overlapping crises in Washington’s foreign policy.

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