PM Shehbaz invites Trump to visit Pakistan

News Desk

Washington: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Oval Office on Thursday underscored a renewed push to broaden Pakistan-US cooperation, with both leaders highlighting peace diplomacy, trade opportunities, and regional security as shared priorities.

The talks—described by officials as “warm and cordial”—were attended by Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir NI (M), HJ, signaling the weight Islamabad attached to the engagement.

At the forefront was the recent US-brokered ceasefire between Pakistan and India, which Prime Minister Shehbaz credited with averting a major South Asian crisis. Both leaders agreed to continue dialogue on regional peace and security, including counterterrorism coordination and intelligence sharing.

On the economic front, the prime minister welcomed this year’s tariff arrangement with Washington and extended an invitation for US companies to invest in Pakistan’s agriculture, IT, energy, and minerals sectors.

The meeting followed a September 8 visit of top US firms exploring Pakistan’s critical minerals, where MoUs were signed on rare earth elements development.

The two leaders also touched on the Middle East conflict, with Shehbaz backing Trump’s initiative to convene Muslim leaders in New York earlier this week to explore ways forward on Gaza and the West Bank.

Diplomatic sources noted that Shehbaz’s invitation for a presidential visit to Pakistan carried symbolic weight, reflecting Islamabad’s interest in repositioning its relationship with Washington as one of “strategic partnership” rather than transactional engagement.

President Trump, during remarks at an earlier White House event, praised both Shehbaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir as “great leaders,” signaling his administration’s readiness to re-engage with Pakistan at a high political and security level.

Shehbaz, in the US primarily for the 80th UN General Assembly session, flew into Washington for the high-profile meeting before returning to New York to address the UNGA on Friday.

Islamabad’s diplomatic circles view the meeting as part of Pakistan’s broader effort to consolidate external partnerships at a time of heightened regional volatility—while also strengthening economic cooperation to address domestic challenges.