Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived at the White House on Thursday evening for his first Oval Office meeting with US President Donald Trump. The closed-door session is not open to the press.
Sharif reached the West Executive Avenue entrance at 4:52 pm, where senior administration officials greeted him. He was accompanied by Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who joined the prime minister for the visit.
The White House talks are expected to touch on bilateral relations, trade, regional security and broader global developments. For Sharif, 74, the meeting marks a significant milestone: no Pakistani prime minister has set foot in the Oval Office since Imran Khan’s visit in July 2019.
The Washington stopover, lasting less than 24 hours, was added to Sharif’s five-day US trip built around the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Earlier this week, he addressed the UN Climate Summit and is scheduled to deliver his formal speech to the General Assembly on Friday.
Trump and Pakistan’s military leadership already share a connection. In June, Trump hosted Field Marshal Munir for lunch at the White House. Soon after, Munir nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a move Pakistan’s government later endorsed, citing Trump’s role in mediating a short-lived conflict between India and Pakistan.
Sharif and Trump also had a brief, informal exchange in New York earlier this week on the sidelines of UN events. Thursday’s Oval Office meeting, however, represents their first formal engagement and underscores Islamabad’s push to sustain top-level dialogue with Washington despite its heavy diplomatic focus at the UN.
– Ends
Tune In
