'Chiefly aimed at New Delhi': Brahma Chellaney says Trump-Munir meet signals return of US balancing act

Former US President Donald Trump's decision to host Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir at White House lunch is "chiefly aimed at New Delhi", according to strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney. Chellaney believes the meeting may mark a return to Washington's Cold War-era strategy of balancing ties between India and Pakistan.

"President Trump hosting Pakistan army chief Asim Munir at the White House for a private, closed-door luncheon is a potent geopolitical signal — chiefly aimed at New Delhi," the geostrategist wrote on X. "Iran will likely feature in the discussions, but Munir's invitation to the U.S. predates Israel's preemptive war against Iran."

Chellaney argued that Trump's invitation comes just weeks after Indian military pressure pushed Pakistan into a ceasefire, making the White House outreach all the more notable. "Trump's decision to welcome Pakistan's most powerful figure signals an effort to normalise Islamabad's standing — and potentially revive Cold War–era U.S.-Pakistan strategic collaboration. This meeting may mark a return to the old American playbook of balancing U.S. relations with India and Pakistan."

By choosing to engage directly with the Pakistani army — the country's real power center — Trump was "implicitly legitimizing the Pakistan army's role — not only domestically but also in shaping regional security," Chellaney said.

"If Trump is seeking quiet cooperation from Munir on Iran — whether in intelligence sharing or logistical support — it points to a transactional approach, where Pakistan’s enduring links to terrorist networks are overlooked in favor of short-term utility," he noted. "Trump may also be signaling — to India and the wider world — that his foreign policy will follow his own instincts and strategic calculus, not Indian sensitivities."

"In effect," Chellaney added, "India may be a strategic partner of America, but not a veto-holder over US dealings with Pakistan."

The lunch meeting — confirmed in the official daily schedule as "The President has lunch with the Chief of Army Staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan” — marks the first time in years that a Pakistani army chief is being hosted by a sitting US President at the White House. The last high-level military visit was by General Qamar Javed Bajwa in 2022, who met US defence officials but not then President Joe Biden.

Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal weighed in, saying: "So, the US takes it that the civilian government in Pakistan is a facade and that the real person to discuss vital matters, including financial and investment, is the elevated Field Marshal. By this move, Trump is making the civilian government in Pakistan look irrelevant even on core economic issues. What a snub to Shehbaz Sharif."

The meeting comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Former air force officer Ajay Ahlawat said: "US needs Pakistan's bases for its own game plan against Iran. It was easy to predict."