WASHINGTON, DC – In an unprecedented and politically charged move, President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir for lunch at the White House on June 18, a meeting that underscored Trump’s direct outreach to Pakistan’s military establishment and complicated his ongoing public claims of having prevented a war between India and Pakistan.

The June 18 lunch marked the first known instance of a U.S. president hosting Pakistan’s army chief at the White House without the presence of senior civilian officials — a signal that Trump was engaging directly with the real center of power in Islamabad. Munir, widely seen as Pakistan’s most powerful figure, discussed a range of issues with Trump, including Iran, Israel, trade, economic development, and cryptocurrency, according to a statement from Pakistan’s military.

Trump, for his part, made no secret of why he hosted Munir: “Reason I had him here, I wanted to thank him for not going into the war, just ending the war,” he told reporters after the meeting, referring to the recent India-Pakistan military standoff. He praised both Munir and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side, PM Modi from the India side, and others.”

However, just hours earlier, Trump had once again claimed personal credit for halting the conflict. At around 10 a.m., while speaking to reporters as a massive flagpole was being raised on the White House lawn, he declared, “I got it stopped,” repeating, “I stopped the war between Pakistan and India,” and expressing frustration that he had not been recognized for it. By 3 p.m., while meeting members of the Juventus Football Club in the Oval Office, he moderated his tone, saying, “I’m so happy there was a deal that two smart people… worked out,” avoiding direct claims of mediation.

India has strongly rejected Trump’s assertion that he played a role in stopping the conflict. In a phone call the previous night, Prime Minister Modi bluntly told Trump that India had taken “firm action” that compelled Pakistan to request a ceasefire. “Due to India’s firm action, Pakistan was compelled to request a cessation of military operations,” Modi told Trump, according to an official readout from India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The statement also reiterated that India “would never agree to any third-party mediation” in its dealings with Pakistan.

Trump’s invitation to Munir signals a departure from previous U.S. administrations, especially Democratic ones, which have traditionally emphasized engagement with civilian leadership in Pakistan. Trump, by contrast, openly acknowledged the power structure, saying he wanted to thank the general directly for his role in ending hostilities. During last month’s Operation Sindoor, the Trump camp reportedly shifted its communication from Pakistan’s civilian prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, to Munir, recognizing where decision-making authority resided.

Trump’s meeting with Munir also touched on Iran. Trump noted that Pakistan “knew [Iran] better than most,” and Pakistani sources suggested that Munir had urged Trump to push for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. Pakistan, which currently represents Iranian interests in the U.S., has been vocal in its condemnation of Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, a position at odds with U.S. policy.

According to White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, Trump hosted Munir after the general publicly suggested Trump should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for helping avert a nuclear war in South Asia.

While the meeting may signal a warming of ties between the U.S. and Pakistan under Trump, it risks deepening the rift with India, which has taken strong exception to Trump’s repeated public claims of intervention and continues to assert that no foreign mediation was involved.

 (with IANS inputs)