- Premier Shehbaz thanks US president for endorsing Pakistan’s role, stresses enhanced security cooperation
- Lauds President Trump for averting ‘major catastrophe’ during May’s India-Pakistan conflict
- Backs Trump’s initiative to convene Muslim leaders for peace in the Middle East
- Invites US firms to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture, IT, minerals, and energy sectors
- US officials highlight growing Pakistan-US engagement, independent of Washington’s strained India policy
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held his first formal meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, where the two leaders discussed regional security, counterterrorism cooperation, trade, and prospects for strengthening Pakistan-US relations.
The high-stakes meeting, lasted over an hour, was attended by top officials from both sides and marked a significant step forward “in what American officials described” as “gradually warming relations” between Washington and Islamabad.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met President of the United States, Donald J. Trump in the White House, Washington, D.C.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif expressed the confidence that under President Trump’s leadership, the Pakistan-U.S. partnership would be… pic.twitter.com/wBHRA0yqLO
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 26, 2025
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier was accompanied by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, while President Trump was joined by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two delegations exchanged views in what was described as a candid yet cordial setting, underscoring the renewed willingness on both sides to work together on areas of common concern.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif called on President Donald J. Trump, at the White House. He was accompanied by Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir NI (M), HJ, Chief of the Army Staff.
During their warm and cordial meeting, Prime Minister expressed his deep admiration for… pic.twitter.com/OCT5AvuhEZ
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) September 26, 2025
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with President of the United States Donald J. Trump in Washington, D.C.
Prime Minister was accompanied by Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir NI (M), HJ.
As the two leaders discussed regional security including… pic.twitter.com/EiZ39LYaO9
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 26, 2025
Focus on Counterterrorism and Regional Peace
PM Shehbaz placed special emphasis on Pakistan’s longstanding sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, thanking Trump for his “public endorsement of Pakistan’s role in counterterrorism” and stressing the importance of enhancing cooperation in intelligence-sharing and security.
Calling the US president a “man of peace,” Shehbaz lauded Trump’s “sincere efforts” to defuse global conflicts, particularly highlighting his intervention in May when tensions between India and Pakistan escalated into a four-day military confrontation. Trump’s mediation, the prime minister said, “helped avert a major catastrophe in South Asia” and proved his credentials as a leader willing to take bold and decisive steps for peace.
The prime minister also extended a formal invitation to President Trump to undertake an official visit to Pakistan “at his convenience,” an offer warmly acknowledged by the American leader.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif called on President Donald J. Trump, at the White House. He was accompanied by Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir NI (M), HJ, Chief of the Army Staff.
During their warm and cordial meeting, Prime Minister expressed his deep admiration for… pic.twitter.com/kZsmwKna2M
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 26, 2025
Middle East and Gaza Crisis
Turning to the Middle East, PM Shehbaz praised Trump’s diplomatic outreach earlier this week in New York, where the US president convened Muslim leaders to discuss the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the West Bank. “Your initiative to bring together key voices from the Muslim world reflects your sincere commitment to peace in the region,” the prime minister said, according to the statement. He noted that Pakistan valued Washington’s efforts to achieve an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza, where Israeli strikes have drawn sharp criticism from much of the international community.
Trade and Investment Prospects
On the economic front, PM Shehbaz thanked Trump for concluding a recent tariff agreement with Islamabad, calling it a “positive step” for bilateral trade. He invited US companies to explore investment opportunities in Pakistan’s agriculture, information technology, mining, minerals, and energy sectors. “We hope that under President Trump’s leadership, the Pakistan-US partnership will grow further to the mutual benefit of both countries,” the statement quoted him as saying.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met with U.S. President Donald J. Trump at the Oval Office today.
The Prime Minister lauded President Trump’s “bold, courageous and decisive leadership” for facilitating the Pakistan-India ceasefire and… pic.twitter.com/Xy5hHsl2Nk
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 26, 2025
Optics and Atmosphere of the Meeting
The Oval Office meeting was originally scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm Washington time (1:30 am PST) but was delayed by about 30 minutes as President Trump concluded a media briefing on unrelated executive orders. Photos released later showed Prime Minister Shehbaz and Field Marshal Munir waiting in the gilded Oval Office seating area, while across the room White House staffers wrapped up preparations.
When the meeting began, Trump was seen greeting both Pakistani leaders warmly, later flashing his trademark thumbs-up sign in a group photograph. The discussions lasted roughly one hour and 20 minutes, making it one of the lengthier Oval Office sessions held by the US president in recent months.
Historical Context and Significance
The engagement was the first formal bilateral interaction between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Trump, and the first such meeting between a Pakistani premier and Trump since Imran Khan’s White House visit in July 2019. Analysts noted that the meeting signaled both continuity and change: continuity in the military’s central role in Pakistan-US ties, with the presence of Field Marshal Munir, and change in the sense that Trump appeared keen to recalibrate America’s South Asia policy.
Earlier this year, Trump had hosted Field Marshal Munir separately at the White House, the first time a US president met Pakistan’s military chief without senior civilian officials present. That meeting underscored the Pentagon’s and White House’s recognition of the Pakistani military’s influence over security and regional issues.
US Perspective: “Independent Relationship”
Commenting on the visit, a senior State Department official told reporters in New York that Pakistan-US ties were “gradually warming up” in Trump’s second term. For years, Washington viewed India as a counterweight to China’s influence in Asia, while Pakistan was seen largely through the prism of its partnership with Beijing.
However, the official emphasized that Washington’s relationship with Pakistan was not conditional on its ties with New Delhi. “We have an independent relationship with Pakistan,” he said, noting recent American investments worth hundreds of millions of dollars in Pakistan’s mineral sector and ongoing interest in petroleum exploration.
He added that the US was still reviewing a recently signed Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defence deal but confirmed that counterterrorism and trade remained key pillars of Washington’s engagement with Islamabad.
Shifting South Asia Dynamics
The meeting also came against the backdrop of Washington’s increasingly strained ties with New Delhi. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has clashed with India over visa restrictions, steep tariffs, and his repeated claims of brokering the India-Pakistan ceasefire in May. Observers noted that these tensions had opened diplomatic space for Pakistan to assert itself as a partner in Washington’s evolving regional strategy.
At the same time, Islamabad has publicly backed Trump’s candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in defusing South Asia tensions, even as it has condemned ongoing Israeli strikes in Gaza.
UNGA Agenda Ahead
Prime Minister Shehbaz is currently in the United States for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where he has already participated in a multilateral summit of Muslim-majority countries and held side meetings with global financial institutions. Following his Oval Office talks, the premier is scheduled to return to New York, where he will deliver a keynote address at the UNGA on Friday, outlining Pakistan’s position on global peace, economic cooperation, and regional security.
