An Old Tango in Washington: Donald Trump, Asim Munir & A Farce India Has Seen Before

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While America is busy with its old tango with Islamabad, India will continue its economic ascent, building a future based on production, not deception
President Donald Trump, in a move dripping with transactionalism, has rolled out the red carpet for Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Syed Asim Munir. Recently anointed a 'Field Marshal" for saving Pakistan from India's fury by securing a 'ceasefire," Asim Munir is now in Washington.
He arrives not as a statesman representing a nation, but as an exposed military leader with a begging bowl, seeking to mortgage his country's strategic alignment for his institution's financial and political survival.
But this time, there was a crucial and unexpected prologue. Just before meeting Munir, President Trump requested a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the 35-minute conversation, PM Modi made India's new doctrine vis-à-vis Pakistan crystal clear. He briefed Trump on Operation Sindoor, framing it as 'measured and precise", and made it clear that terrorism is now considered an actual war by India.
The operation, he warned, is merely paused, and would resume with renewed ferocity were Pakistan to attempt any misadventure. With that single phone call, Munir's mission was kneecapped before it even began. He arrives not to a blank slate, but to a chessboard where India has already placed his king in check.
Munir's itinerary, reportedly including meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, is not a diplomatic courtesy. It is a coronation. It confirms who truly wields power in Islamabad, and it is not the man with the title of 'Prime Minister.' The meeting between an American President and a Pakistani Army Chief, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is relegated to the sidelines, is the most profound insult to the very notion of Pakistani 'democracy." It is a public declaration from Washington that the fig leaf has fallen.
The civilian government in Pakistan is, and has always been, a flimsy façade – a Potemkin village designed to secure IMF loans and maintain the pretense of a 'modern' state. The real power, the entity that decides matters of war, peace, and nuclear codes, resides in the military's General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. By engaging directly with Munir, Trump is simply legitimising Pakistan's military rule. It is a display of strategic myopia, where short-term gains are pursued at the cost of long-term regional stability.
A PIVOT FOR A PRICE: WOOING RAWALPINDI, WORRYING BEIJING
But why now? The timing, as always, is key. The escalating conflict between Israel and Iran has sent ripples of anxiety through the world. With Pakistan sharing a long and porous border with Iran, its geography once again becomes its greatest, and perhaps only, asset. Washington sees a frontline state, a potential staging ground, and a lever against Tehran. In this high-stakes game, Trump is making a classic American bet: that the loyalty of the Pakistani military can be bought, or at least rented. He is attempting to pry Pakistan from the tightening embrace of its two most committed patrons: China and Iran.
This courtship is aimed squarely at Beijing. For years, China has nurtured Pakistan as its 'all-weather" ally, a strategic gateway to the Arabian Sea through CPEC and a loyal customer for its military-industrial complex. Trump's embrace of Munir, with its unspoken offer of American dollars and technology, is a direct challenge to that leverage. After all, an 'all-weather friendship" built on loans can look remarkably fragile when confronted with the immediate gratification of American patronage. Beijing is about to find out just how deep its influence in Rawalpindi truly runs.
The second prize is the vast mineral wealth of Balochistan. Since he took office in January, Trump has been scanning the world topography for rare earth elements (REEs). The India-Pakistan flare-up appears to have brought Balochistan's rare earth deposits to Trump's attention. Balochistan, currently under Pakistani occupation, is estimated to contain 12 of the 17 known REEs. By gaining influence over the Pakistani security establishment, the US not only disrupts China's access to these deposits but positions itself to control these resources — a manoeuvre combining 19th-century colonial grabbing with 21st-century geostrategic competition.
AN OLD SCRIPT, BUT INDIA HAS FLIPPED THE PAGE
So where does this leave India? More secure than ever. India's mature response is one of quiet, almost amused, detachment, now bolstered by the knowledge that our red lines have been clearly communicated at the highest level. Our attitude should be simple: good luck to all those who wish to get in bed with the Pakistanis. After all, Prime Minister Modi has made it unequivocally clear to Trump that US mediation is not welcome and that India knows how to deal with Pakistan on its own terms.
India learned long ago that American dollars poured into Pakistan do not create a stable, moderate neighbour. Instead, they fund a duplicitous military establishment that perfects the art of playing both sides. The US has armed Pakistan against the Soviets, only to see those same assets turned into a global jihadist factory that ultimately claimed American lives. It has funded Pakistan for the 'War on Terror', only to find Osama bin Laden living comfortably next to its premier military academy. History provides a brutal record: any nation entangled with the Pakistani state has suffered for it.
If President Trump believes he can tame this animal, especially after being explicitly warned by India, then we can only wish him the very best. India will not interrupt its adversary when it is making a mistake. Trump is not the first American to be entrapped by the Pakistanis, and India knows he will not be the last.
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Let the US navigate the labyrinth of Pakistani promises. While America is busy with its old tango with Islamabad, India will continue its economic ascent, building a future based on production, not deception. The meeting between Trump and Munir is not a threat. It is an affirmation of everything we already knew, but with one crucial difference: this time, the world knows that India is not just watching. We have already spoken. The stage is set, the actors are familiar, and we have already delivered our lines.
Besides, were Pakistan to mistake American patronage as a safety net to attempt more attacks against India, it would be making a catastrophic miscalculation — one that would invite a response so swift and overwhelming that no global power, not even the United States, would be able to shield Islamabad from. The cost would not just be military defeat, but the accelerated and inevitable unravelling of a terror state already fraying at the seams. Disintegration would not be a threat. It would be a certainty for Pakistan.
Sanbeer Singh Ranhotra
Sanbeer Singh Ranhotra is a producer and video journalist at Network18. He is enthusiastic about and writes on both national affairs as well as geopolitics.
tags :
Asim Munir donald trump us pakistan relations
Location :
New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
June 18, 2025, 11:42 IST
News opinion Opinion | An Old Tango in Washington: Donald Trump, Asim Munir & A Farce India Has Seen Before