‘Officers’ ties are strong’: Analyst after US general’s praise of Asim Munir, invitation for Field Marshal to military parade

Commander of the United States Central Command (Centcom) General Michael Kurilla’s praise for Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir and the subsequent invitation to the Field Marshal to the US military parade is an indication of Munir’s possible visit to Centcom, said an analyst. US and Pakistan officer-to-officer ties are generally strong, said the foreign policy expert.

“Much is unclear about Gen. Munir’s reported upcoming trip to the US. But if he comes, a CENTCOM visit is a possibility. He and Gen Kurilla have met 3 times in less than 2 years. Kurilla praised him yesterday in Hill testimony. US-Pak officer-to-officer ties are generally strong,” said Michael Kugelman, the US foreign policy expert, specialising in South Asia. 

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, General Kurilla called Pakistan a “phenomenal partner in the counterterrorism world” as he underscored Islamabad’s role in the operations against ISIS-Khorasan. This has come at a time when India is attempting to highlight Pakistan’s decade old policy of harbouring terrorists. India had earlier stated that backing terrorists is a state policy for Pakistan, and they have time and again denied their involvement in terrorist attacks even though evidence points otherwise. 

"Through a phenomenal partnership with Pakistan, they have gone after ISIS-Khorasan, killing dozens of them. Through a relationship we have with them, providing intelligence, they have captured at least five ISIS-Khorasan high-value individuals," he had said.

Kurilla mentioned Mohammad Sharifullah alias Jafar, allegedly involved in the 2021 Kabul airport suicide bombing that killed 13 American military personnel and over 160 civilians.  He said that after the arrest of Jafar, "the first person Munir called was me and said, ‘I’ve caught him, I’m willing to extradite him back to the US.  Please tell the secretary of defence and the president".

The US General also, however, signalled the importance of maintaining a relationship with India. "We need to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India.  I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can’t have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India. We should look at the merits of the relationship for the positives that it has."

Not only has the General good things to say about Pakistan and the Field Marshal, Washington also invited Munir to the 250th anniversary celebrations of the US Army. Munir has reportedly confirmed that he would be attending the military parade. As per sources, Munir would hold meetings with senior officials from the US State Department and the Pentagon during his visit. 

Munir had made headlines before the Pahalgam attack for his incendiary speech, propagating the two-nation theory and urging his fellow Pakistanis to understand that they are “different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life”. "Our religions are different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different. That was the foundation of the two-nation theory that was laid there. We are two nations, we are not one nation," he had said in the speech where he called Kashmir their “jugular vein”.