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Who is Sajid Tarar, the man who facilitated the Donald Trump-Asim Munir lunch?
He is a Pakistani-American businessman living in the Baltimore-Washington area. Reuters/File Photo
US President Donald Trump welcomed Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir for a lunch meeting at the White House on Wednesday.
This was the first time a US president had hosted the influential head of Pakistan's army, who is seen as playing a major role in shaping the country's national security decisions.
The meeting was arranged by Sajid Tarar, a Pakistani-American businessman, according to reports.
Read Israel-Iran conflict day 8 live updates here.
It came at a tense moment in Washington, with Trump expected to decide in the next two weeks whether the US will join the Israel-Iran conflict.
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So, who is Sajid Tarar? And what happened during the Trump-Munir meeting?
Let's take a look at these details:
Who is Sajid Tarar?
He is a Pakistani-American businessman living in the Baltimore-Washington area.
He was a regular presence at the Republican National Conventions and is known for his strong links to the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement.
Tarar also founded the group 'American Muslims for Trump'.
His closeness to Donald Trump's circle was visible when his son got a role at the US State Department during Trump's first term.
The meeting was reportedly arranged by Sajid Tarar. Reuters/File Photo
Outside politics, Tarar heads the nonprofit Centre for Social Change in Baltimore, Maryland.
He has served on finance teams for state governors and has held senior positions in several business and investment groups.
He came into the spotlight recently for reportedly arranging the lunch meeting between Trump and Asim Munir.
Beyond his work with Pakistani-Americans, Tarar has also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and backed the idea of peaceful, cooperative ties between India and Pakistan, a rare stand in a divided diaspora.
He moved to the US in the 1990s, became a citizen, and has since been a prominent Republican voice among Muslim Americans.
ALSO READ | What is Iran's Arak heavy water reactor 'created to build nukes' that Israel struck?
Donald Trump-Asim Munir luncheon meeting
During the lunch meeting on Wednesday, Trump praised Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir for his 'role' in helping prevent further escalation between India and Pakistan.
Trump said, 'Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it…'
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The meeting, held in the Cabinet Room of the White House, lasted over an hour. Pakistan's ISI chief, Lt Gen Asim Malik, also attended alongside Munir.
India and Pakistan agreed to end hostilities on May 10 after four days of heavy cross-border missile and drone attacks.
The meeting came at a time when tensions were rising in West Asia, with the US weighing its role in the growing Israel-Iran conflict.
Pakistan has condemned Israel's airstrikes on Iran, calling them a breach of international law and a threat to regional peace.
'This is for us a very serious issue what is happening in our brotherly country of Iran. It imperils the entire regional security structures, it impacts us deeply,' Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesman for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday.
Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran. WANA/Reuters
Meanwhile, Israel and Iran exchanged fire again on Thursday, marking the seventh day of the ongoing conflict.
Iranian missiles struck a major hospital in southern Israel and hit residential areas in Tel Aviv, injuring 240 people and causing serious damage.
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Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz held Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responsible, saying the Israeli military 'has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.'
Israel also carried out airstrikes on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor in a fresh attack on its nuclear infrastructure. Iranian state media reported that there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' and said the site had been cleared ahead of the strike.
The White House later said Trump will decide within two weeks whether the US will join Israel's campaign against Iran's military and nuclear targets. Trump, it said, still believes there is a chance to resolve the issue through diplomacy.
With inputs from agencies
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