'Wanted to thank him...': Trump hosts Asim Munir for lunch
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir for a lunch meeting at the White House on Wednesday.
This was the first time a US president had invited Pakistan's army chief without senior civilian officials from Islamabad.
The meeting comes amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, with Trump considering Washington's potential role in the situation.
Pakistan and Iran share a border around 905 kilometers long.
Acknowledgment
Trump thanks General Munir for preventing India-Pakistan conflict escalation
During the luncheon, President Trump praised General Munir for his efforts in preventing escalation of conflict between India and Pakistan.
"Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it," he said.
The two leaders also discussed regional tensions with Iran during the meeting.
A section of Pakistan's embassy in Washington represents Iran's interests in the United States, as Tehran does not have diplomatic ties with the country.
Regional tensions
'Pakistan knows Iran better than most countries'
President Trump said Pakistan knows Iran better than most countries and discussed their unhappiness with the current situation.
He also praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his role in ending the conflict, saying, "Two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war; that could have been a nuclear war."
The luncheon lasted over an hour and was also attended by ISI head Lt. Gen. Asim Malik.
Credit
'Well I stopped the war'
After the meeting with Munir, Trump again took credit for ending the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.
"Well, I stopped the war between Pakistan—I love Pakistan—I think Modi is a fantastic man...We are going to make a trade deal with Modi... This man (referring to Asim Munir) was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistani side, Modi from the Indian side, and others. And they were going at it; they are both nuclear countries. I got it stopped."
Call
Modi and Trump had a 35-minute phone conversation
A day earlier, PM Modi and Trump had a 35-minute phone conversation, during which the Indian leader reiterated India's long-standing position against third-party mediation in its relations with Pakistan.
Trump also invited PM Modi to visit the US after the G7 Summit in Canada; however, Modi declined, citing prior commitments.
Instead, PM Modi invited President Trump to India for the next Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) summit.
President Trump accepted the invitation with enthusiasm.
Meeting purpose
Munir proposed Trump's name for Nobel Peace Prize
The White House confirmed that the meeting was called after General Munir proposed President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
"President Trump will host General Munir after he called for the President to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly.