Trump to Meet Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif at White House Amid Renewed Ties

President Trump to Meet PM Shehbaz Sharif at the White House

Washington: US President Donald Trump is set to meet Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today at the White House, sources from the administration confirmed. The high-level meeting will take place in the Oval Office around 4:30 pm local time (shortly after midnight in Pakistan).

While the White House has not officially confirmed which Pakistani officials will accompany PM Shehbaz, there is speculation that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir might also attend the meeting. However, security sources have neither confirmed nor denied the army chief’s participation.

Currently in New York, PM Shehbaz is scheduled to travel to Washington this afternoon for the meeting. The agenda for the talks has not been publicly disclosed by either side.

This meeting follows President Trump’s recent hosting of leaders from key Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, the UAE, and Jordan, to discuss the ongoing Gaza conflict and efforts to achieve peace in the region.

US-Pakistan relations have notably improved in recent months under Trump’s leadership. Washington’s traditional preference for India as a strategic counterbalance to China in Asia has shifted somewhat, with renewed focus on strengthening ties with Pakistan. This comes amid strains between the US and India, related to trade disputes, visa challenges, and conflicting claims over the India-Pakistan ceasefire brokered in May by the Trump administration following heightened cross-border hostilities.

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A recently announced trade deal between the US and Pakistan, imposing a 19% tariff on Pakistani goods, further reflects this warming relationship, in contrast to ongoing unresolved trade talks with India.

Earlier this year, President Trump made history by hosting Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House—marking the first time a US president received Pakistan’s army chief without senior civilian officials. Washington continues to work closely with Pakistan on issues ranging from counter-terrorism to economic cooperation, according to senior State Department officials.

The Shehbaz-Trump meeting occurs against the backdrop of heightened tensions and military conflict between Pakistan and India earlier this year, which included India’s cross-border attacks in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan’s subsequent military response, dubbed Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos. The conflict de-escalated following a ceasefire brokered by the US, a move that Pakistan credits to President Trump and has even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since then, diplomatic and military engagements between Islamabad and Washington have increased, culminating in the recent trade agreement and signaling a new phase in bilateral relations.

Further details of today’s talks are awaited as the two leaders convene in Washington.