Field Marshal Asim Munir to visit US this week: report

• COAS to attend retirement ceremony of US Centcom chief.
• No official announcement made regarding other engagements.
• Army chief's US visit will be second in less than two months.

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will travel to the United States this week, marking his second visit in less than two months, foreign media reported on Thursday.

The COAS will attend the retirement ceremony of US Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla, who was noted for publicly praising Pakistan and was even awarded with Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) during his recent visit to the country by President Asif Ali Zardari on July 26.

No official announcement has been made so far regarding any other engagements during Field Marshal Munir's US trip.

The army chief visited the US back in June, and held a rare one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House Cabinet Room with Secretary of State Senator Marco Rubio and US Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs Steve Witkoff and Islamabad's national security adviser also in attendance.

The visit also came against the backdrop of the armed Pakistan-India conflict, which saw Washington brokering a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after New Delhi launched attacks inside Pakistan — under the pretext of targeting terrorists — which it said were responsible for the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

India's attacks prompted Pakistan to launch Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos after downing six Indian Air Force fighter jets, including three Rafales, in response to Indian unprovoked aggression.

The 87-hour-long conflict — which included cross-border strikes by both countries — left 40 civilians and 13 armed forces personnel martyred in Pakistan.

The huddle, apart from discussing the then-worsening Iran conflict, also saw COAS praising Trump's "constructive and result-oriented role" in facilitating a ceasefire with India.

With Field Marshal Munir lauding Trump's statesmanship and his ability to comprehend and address the multifaceted challenges faced by the global community, the US president, in return, also hailed the former's leadership and decisiveness during a period of complex regional dynamics.

During the meeting, which extended to over two hours, both sides also discussed avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation in multiple domains, including trade, economic development, mines and minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, cryptocurrency, and emerging technologies.

Following the army chief's visit, Pakistan and Washington have since then reached a much-awaited trade agreement as well.

The breakthrough came during Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb's meeting with the US Secretary of Commerce and Trade Representative. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, and Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul were also present.

Under the agreement, there will be a reduction in tariffs, particularly on Pakistani exports to the US, and a fresh start in economic cooperation between the two countries.

Although specific details have not surfaced either from Islamabad or Washington on the trade deal, the Ministry for Finance said that the agreement "will result in a reduction of reciprocal tariff, especially on Pakistani exports to the US" 

The trade deal was confirmed by Trump himself who took to social media saying that the two countries will "work together on developing their massive oil reserves" and were currently "in the process of choosing the oil company" which will be leading this partnership.

Under the said understanding, Pakistan and the US will also focus on energy, minerals, information technology, cryptocurrency, and other key areas.