A strategic huddle
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An unexpected and emergent huddle between President Donald Trump and Field Marshal Gen Asim Munir has laid a renewed roadmap of cooperation on strategic issues. The interaction – the first of its kind wherein Pakistan's serving military chief met a sitting US president and that too without political aides – summarises the indispensability of Pakistan's geopolitical importance and the role that the security forces can play in counterterrorism efforts in the region along with the US.
The audience also brought to the fore the indispensability of Islamabad for Washington as it navigates its policies in Afghanistan and the necessity of sharing notes as Iran and Israel are locked in a conflagration that threatens world peace and security.
While minutes of the get-together remain elusive and little is known as to what literally transpired on Iran and Israel, as well as the format to handle the soaring terrorism in Afghanistan, the fact that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Special Representative for Mideast Steve Witkoff and Pakistan's NSA and ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Malik were in session makes it comprehensive enough to assume that some constructive parleys were held, meant to scale down the volatility through diplomacy, and make use of influence Pakistan can assert over Tehran and the Muslim world.
The summit reportedly arranged through ''unorthodox efforts" also came as an apt opportunity to debrief each other over the four-day duel that Pakistan fought with India, and the promising mediatory role of Trump in pulling back the nuclear rivals from the brink.
Pakistan's military authorities, in a presser, also said that avenues for expanding trade and big-ticket ventures such as mines and minerals, crypto-currency and emerging technologies also figured in the meeting. The debut audience, nonetheless, has also flagged hopes that Trump would have shared his views on furthering democracy and rule of law in Pakistan, and brokering a reconciliation of sorts for a win-win people-centric bilateralism.
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