Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir termed his second visit to the United States in just 1.5 months “a new era in ties” between the two countries, state-run PTV News reported on Sunday.
Field Marshal Munir is undertaking an official visit to the United States and has engaged in high-level interactions with senior political and military leadership, as well as members of the Pakistani diaspora, the military’s media wing said earlier in the day.
The visit comes shortly after he went to the US in June on a five-day official visit, where he met with US President Donald Trump over luncheon, becoming the first serving army chief to have a face-to-face meeting with a sitting US president.
Addressing members of the Pakistani diaspora in the US, Field Marshal Munir was quoted as having said: “My second visit after a gap of just one and a half months marks a new dimension in Pak-US relations.”
He added that the aim of these visits was to take the relations on a constructive, sustainable and positive path.
“It is an honour for me to address Pakistanis living in the US,” he said, adding, “Overseas Pakistanis are a source of pride and dignity and are as enthusiastic as other Pakistanis.”
Speaking on regional issues, the Army chief said: “India wants to present itself as a ‘Vishva Guru’ (global teacher), but in practice, it is nothing like that.”
“The involvement of India’s intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in transnational terrorist activities is a cause of serious concern at the global level,” he added.
He cited the example of the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada, the case of eight Indian naval officers in Qatar, and incidents like Kulbhushan Jadhav.
“Pakistan has fought a successful diplomatic war against India’s discriminatory and duplicitous policies,” Field Marshal Munir added.
Commenting on the recent conflict with India, he said: “This Indian aggression has brought the region to the brink of a dangerously flaming war, where any mistake would lead to a bilateral conflict.”
He also said that Pakistan was extremely grateful to US President Donald Trump, “whose strategic leadership has not only stopped the Pakistan-India war but also prevented many wars in the world.”
Speaking on the issue of Kashmir, He said: “Occupied Kashmir is not an internal matter of India but an unfinished international agenda. As the Quaid-e-Azam had said, Kashmir is the ‘jugular vein’ of Pakistan.”
He added that there were also UN Security Council resolutions on occupied Kashmir, and Pakistan fully supports these resolutions.
He also spoke on the topic of terrorism, saying: “Many terrorist organisations from Afghanistan, including Fitna-al-Khawarij, are active against Pakistan.
He added that Pakistan’s progress and prosperity are linked to Pakistanis living around the world, saying, “Pakistan is currently the last bulwark against terrorism.”
“There is no sympathy for terrorists, and they will have to face justice with all their might,” he continued.
During the trip in June, Field Marshal Munir had stressed the “immense potential for a broader, multidimensional relationship built upon mutual respect” with Washington.
Today’s press release by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on the visit said: “In Tampa, COAS attended the Retirement Ceremony of outgoing Commander United States Central Command (Centcom), General Michael E. Kurilla, and the Change of Command Ceremony marking the assumption of command by Admiral Brad Cooper.
“COAS lauded General Kurilla’s exemplary leadership and his invaluable contributions to strengthening bilateral military cooperation, and extended his best wishes to Admiral Cooper, expressing confidence in continued collaboration to address shared security challenges.
In June, Gen Kurilla hailed Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in the arena of counter-terrorism, citing their struggle against terrorism in Balochistan and against terrorist groups like the Islamic State.
The field marshal also met with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, where matters of mutual professional interest were discussed and Munir extended an invitation to General Caine to visit Pakistan.
The army chief also interacted with the chiefs of defence from friendly nations on the sidelines of the meeting, ISPR said.