It was telling of the sensitivity around Pakistan’s diplomacy with the United States that reports emerged this week about India lodging a protest after President Donald Trump chose recently to host a lunch meeting with Pakistan’s military chief. After years of isolation, Pakistan’s leadership has succeeded in winning over the US administration at the very top level. The White House lunch in June with Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir saw one of the most powerful men in Pakistan’s hybrid regime become the first Pakistani military leader – who has not imposed martial law – have a one-on-one meeting with the US President. This marked a massive upgrade in diplomatic relations compared to the experience of the Biden years. As president, Joe Biden did not even call Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022. A mid-level State Department official told Pakistani officials in 2021 that the Biden administration has downgraded the bilateral relationship with Pakistan. Even with the change of government in Pakistan, the relationship did not substantially improve. Biden wrote a letter to new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in 2024 and had a brief photo-op meeting with Sharif at a United Nations General Assembly reception, with no other public contact.
How Pakistan won over the US leadership after years of isolation | Lowy Institute
