Pakistan Army Chief Meets CENTCOM Cmdr. on US Visit

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir is on an official visit to the United States, where he has engaged in high-level meetings with senior political and military leadership as well as members of the Pakistani diaspora, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.

In Tampa, the COAS attended the retirement ceremony of outgoing Commander US Central Command (CENTCOM) General Michael E. Kurilla and the change of command ceremony marking the assumption of command by Admiral Brad Cooper.

According to ISPR, the army chief lauded Gen Kurilla’s leadership and his role in strengthening bilateral military cooperation. He also conveyed best wishes to Admiral Cooper, expressing confidence in continued collaboration to address shared security challenges.

During the visit, COAS met with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine to discuss matters of mutual professional interest and invited him to visit Pakistan. On the sidelines, he also interacted with chiefs of defence from friendly nations.

In an interactive session with the Pakistani diaspora, the army chief urged expatriates to remain confident in the country’s future and to contribute towards attracting investments.

The diaspora, in turn, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Pakistan’s progress and development.

This marks army chief’s second official visit to the US in two months since the May standoff with India.

The visit comes amid rising tensions between the US and India, which culminated this week when Trump said he’d impose a 50% tariff on Indian exports to the US — half of which includes a penalty for purchases of Russian oil. Even though Trump left some wiggle room to strike a deal, his vitriolic comments about India are upending a decades-long push by the US to court the world’s most populous country as a counterweight to China.

Trump this month slammed India as a “dead” economy with “obnoxious” trade barriers and little concern for Ukrainians killed in battles with Russia. While Modi and Trump haven’t chatted since that June call, the Indian leader on Friday spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and invited him to visit later this year.