New York: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he hosted a lunch meeting for Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir to ‘thank him’ for preventing India and Pakistan conflict.
It is the first time a US president was hosting at the White House the head of Pakistan's army who is believed to be holding control over Islamabad’s national security policies.
‘Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it,’ Trump reportedly said at the luncheon meeting.
The lunch meeting gains importance against the backdrop of ongoing Iran-Israel conflict with Pakistan having close ties with Tehran.
Trump is exploring Washington's possible involvement in the war, which is looming to be a full-blown crisis in the region.
Trump told reporters of having thanked Munir for ending the war with India and in the same breath he thanked PM Modi as well for ending the war.
On Tuesday night, president Trump had a conversation with PM Modi, according to reports.
‘Two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war; that could have been a nuclear war,’ Trump said.
Saying that he was honoured to meet Munir, President Trump added they discussed Iran, because Pakistan leadership knows ‘Iran very well, better than most’.
‘They know Iran very well, better than most. They're not happy about anything. It's not that they're bad with Israel. They know them both actually, but they probably, maybe, they know Iran better, but they see what's going on and he agreed with me,’ Trump told reporters.
Meanwhile, Pakistan condemned Israel’s airstrike on Iran terming it as violating international law alongside threatening regional safety.
Explaining his intension behind meeting with Munir for over an hour at White House, Trump said he ‘stopped a war’, adding ‘ I love Pakistan’.
In addition to it he said ‘I think Modi is a fantastic man. I spoke to him last night. We're going to make a trade deal with Modi of India’.