“Tactical romance”: Munir invites Trump; he may ‘elevate’‘Field Marshal’ as Ayub Khan II!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Can US President Donald Trump’s “tactical romance” –as Al Jazeera put it—with Pakistan’s de facto dictator, ‘Field Marshal’ Asim Munir, lead to a regime change in Islamabad, maybe even before in Tehran!
“In a gesture reflecting the warmth of bilateral ties, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir extended an invitation to President Trump, on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date,” the Army said in Islamabad on Thursday, a day after the ‘historic lunch’.
In the fast-changing and kaleidoscopic geopolitical churning, Trump may, for the peace of his mind, enthrone Munir as Ayub Khan II. In 1958, the then Army chief, General Muhammed Ayub Khan, with western support against the USSR, ousted President Iskander Mirza, and promoted himself as “Field Marshal” without winning a war. Asim Munir, who just lost effortlessly in India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025, also proclaimed himself as “Field Marshal” less than two weeks later.
Ayub Khan led Pakistan into the 1965 war against India to a humiliating defeat and resigned only under duress in 1969. He was succeeded by General Yahya Khan, credited with conceiving Bangladesh. Munir may well follow the same pattern—with Washington’s full support.
Pakistani politicians are aware of this copyrighted pattern. But they can do little, given they are corrupt and mere puppets of the rogue generals they promote as their own bouncers.
But they are trying to react. On Wednesday, when Trump hosted Munir to a two-hour-long exclusive lunch along with ISI chief Asim Malik, who is also the National Security Advisor, and sought their cooperation against Iran—and for Israel—an alarmed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tried to stall his own overthrow.
Before their lunch, Sharif condemned Israel and called on the international community to act to bring about an “immediate” ceasefire between Iran and Israel, warning that further escalations would be detrimental not only to the region but also to global peace.
Addressing a Cabinet meeting in Islamabad, he reiterated Islamabad’s support to Tehran, and condemned Israel’s “naked” aggression against Iran, state-run Pakistan Television reported.
Sharif said he has already spoken to the Iranian President to discuss the evolving situation, and convey Islamabad’s support and solidarity with Tehran.
Although Iran officially said Pakistan had promised it to drop a nuclear bomb on Israel if Israel did so in Iran, an embarrassed Islamabad denied the reports as “fake.”
Earlier, Islamabad said Tehran had the right to self-defense against Israeli attacks.
Sharif also condemned continued Israeli attacks in Gaza, noting that Tel Aviv has unleashed a reign of “brutality.”
Why did Trump praise Munir?
He knows India won’t bend on knees or seek his blessings, nor sign on the US’ dotted lines on trade and tariff; Pakistan can, and will, if he installed Munir.
To embrace Munir, Trump used his business network. Their lunch, according to media reports, was arranged by Sajid Tarar, a Pakistani-American businessman based in the Baltimore-Washington area, who founded the group ‘American Muslims for Trump,’ and is well-known in media circles in all three countries.
Ironically, Tarar has for long, in the gullible India media outlets, seen as ‘pro-India.’ In August 2024, he travelled across India as an ‘Indophile’ and got wide coverage while Trump was busy in his own election campaign. While Munir hid in a Washington hotel since Sunday, Tarar arranged Munir’s first and only meeting with the Pakistani diaspora on Wednesday, amid protests by Imran Khan supporters.
Some analysts warn that the evolving US-Pakistan relationship should be viewed as a product of Trump’s personal position, rather than institutional policy.
“We are dealing with an administration which changes its tune by the hour. There is no process here,” Marvin Weinbaum, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI), told Al Jazeera.
“One minute the US has no interest, and the next minute priorities change rapidly. You’re dealing with an administration that is mercurial and personalised, and you don’t associate that with traditional US foreign policy,” he added.
However, others point out that even the optics of Trump hosting Munir are significant.
“Trump’s lunch invite to Pakistan’s army chief isn’t just protocol-breaking, it’s protocol-redefining,” said Raza Ahmad Rumi, a distinguished lecturer at the City University of New York (CUNY). “It signals, quite visibly, that Pakistan is not just on Washington’s radar, it’s in the inner circle, at least for now.”
Israel has been urging the US to directly join the offensive against Iran, which shares a 900-kilometre-long border with Pakistan. Trump noted that the Pakistanis “know Iran very well, better than most,” but added that they are “not happy”.
According to Trump, however, the main reason for meeting Munir was to thank him for his role in defusing the May conflict between Pakistan and India, a confrontation that brought the region to the brink of nuclear war. Then, the White House admitted that the US President invited Munir to thank him for proposing Trump’s name for the Nobel Peace Prize!
The US President, despite New Delhi’s multiple clarifications, reiterated his alleged role, for the 17th time, on Wednesday also. “I stopped the war between Pakistan and India. This man (Munir) was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side, Modi from the India side, and others,” he said.
But Weinbaum said “The US wants Pakistan’s help in de-risking regional volatility without offering much in return. For Munir, it’s an opportunity to reassert relevance and perhaps negotiate manoeuvring space at home,” he said.
Historically, Pakistan’s ties with the US have been largely transactional, particularly in the security sphere. The US aid and investment often followed Pakistan’s alignment with US strategic goals, helping build its infrastructure and military which it almost exclusively used against India.
But the Trump-Munir lunch has exposed the ‘split’ between the Pakistani Army and the elected civilian government, at least for now.
In a statement on Thursday, the Pakistan Army said, “A detailed exchange of views also took place on the prevailing tensions between Iran and Israel, with both leaders emphasising the importance of resolution of the conflict.”
Although Islamabad has, officially, supported Iran, Trump sought to sow the seeds of discord in Pakistan: “It’s not that they are bad with Israel. They know them both, actually, but they probably, maybe they know Iran better, but they see what’s going on, and he agreed with me,” he said about Munir, ignoring what Sharif said.
In Islamabad, the Pakistan Army said the US President showed “keen interest” in developing a mutually beneficial trade relationship with Pakistan on the basis of long-term strategic interests.
Stronger counter-terrorism cooperation, engagement with crypto-linked influence networks linking the Trump family with Pakistan, and targeted lobbying via Republican-aligned firms in Washington helped Munir secure the luncheon meeting.
The US President was accompanied at the post-lunch meeting by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Representative for the Middle East Steve Witkoff. Munir was joined by Lt Gen Asim Malik.
The Pakistan Army, in its statement on the Trump-Munir meeting, said, the “Chief of Army Staff conveyed the deep appreciation of the government and people of Pakistan for President Trump’s constructive and result-oriented role in facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India in the recent regional crisis. The COAS acknowledged President Trump’s statesmanship and his ability to comprehend and address the multifaceted challenges faced by the global community.”
“President Trump, in turn, lauded Pakistan’s ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability, and appreciated the robust counter-terrorism cooperation between the two states. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration in the field of counter-terrorism,” it said.
“Discussions also encompassed avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation in multiple domains including trade, economic development, mines and minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, cryptocurrency, and emerging technologies. President Trump expressed keen interest in forging a mutually beneficial trade partnership with Pakistan based on long-term strategic convergence and shared interests,” it said.
