WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House on Wednesday, in an unprecedented meeting that risked worsening a disagreement with India over the president's claim that he stopped the recent war between the nuclear-armed South Asian foes.
The lunch meeting was the first time a U.S. president had hosted the powerful head of Pakistan's army, widely regarded as having sway over the country's national security policies, at the White House unaccompanied by senior Pakistani civilian officials.
Trump said he was honored to meet Munir and that they had discussed Iran, which he said Pakistan knew better than most. Trump told reporters he had thanked Munir for ending the war with India, for which he also praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he spoke to on Tuesday night.
"Two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war; that could have been a nuclear war," Trump told reporters.
Munir was expected to press Trump not to enter Israel's war with Iran and seek a ceasefire, Pakistani officials and experts said. A section of Pakistan's embassy in Washington represents Iran's interests in the United States, as Tehran does not have diplomatic relations with the U.S.
Pakistan has condemned Israel's airstrikes against Iran, saying they violate international law and threaten regional stability.
The meeting represented a major boost in U.S.-Pakistan ties, which had largely languished under Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden, as both courted India as part of efforts to push back against China.
Asked earlier what he wanted to achieve from meeting Munir, Trump told reporters: "Well, I stopped a war ... I love Pakistan. I think Modi is a fantastic man. I spoke to him last night. We're going to make a trade deal with Modi of India.
"But I stopped the war between Pakistan and India. This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side, Modi from the India side and others," he said. "They were going at it - and they're both nuclear countries. I got it stopped."
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump hosted Munir after he called for the president to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan.
NO MEDIATION
Trump had said last month that the neighbors agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the U.S., and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war.
However, Modi told Trump in their call on Tuesday that the ceasefire was achieved through talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries and not U.S. mediation, India's most senior diplomat, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, said in a statement.
Pakistan has thanked Washington for playing a mediating role, however, while India has repeatedly denied any third-party mediation. Tuesday's phone call between Modi and Trump was the two leaders' first direct exchange since the May 7-10 conflict.
"PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-U.S. trade deal or U.S. mediation between India and Pakistan," Misri said.
"Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do."
Misri said Modi and Trump had been due to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada but Trump left a day early due to the Middle East situation.
Trump asked Modi if he could stop by the U.S. on his return from Canada, Misri said, but the Indian leader expressed his inability to do so due to a pre-decided schedule.
The heaviest fighting in decades between India and Pakistan was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people. New Delhi blamed "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.
Pakistan has previously said the ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military initiated on May 7.
On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi called "terrorist infrastructure" sites across the border, triggering tit-for-tat strikes spread over four days in which both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery.
Michael Kugelman, of the Asia Pacific Foundation think tank, said India-U.S. ties, which have thrived in recent years, could suffer if Trump continued to make remarks about a U.S. role in the ceasefire and offered U.S. mediation on Kashmir, a Himalayan territory India and Pakistan both claim.
"For Delhi, it all boils down to an age-old question: How much can it tolerate U.S.-Pakistan cooperation without having it spoil U.S.-India relations — a partnership that's thrived in recent years despite continued U.S.-Pakistan links," he said.
