WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met US President Donald Trump at the White House’s Oval Office on Thursday, their first formal engagement since Sharif took office last year, amid warming relations between Islamabad and Washington.
During the Oval Office meeting, Sharif and Trump discussed issues of mutual interest as well as regional and global developments. Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir also joined PM Sharif at the high-level meeting with President Trump.
During the meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance were also present.
The meeting, which was closed to the press, lasted approximately one hour and 20 minutes. In images released by a media company from the White House, PM Sharif, Field Marshal Munir, and US President Trump were seen engaged in cordial discussions.
Following the meeting, the Government of Pakistan posted photos showing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir meeting US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Chief of Army Staff met President of the United States, Donald Trump in White House, Washington. pic.twitter.com/0uSC9LH8WK
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 25, 2025
Ahead of the meeting, the US President told the media that Prime Minister Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir are “great” leaders.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said that a “great leader” was coming to the White House.
“We’ve got the Prime Minister of Pakistan coming and the Field Marshal … [he’s] a great great guy and so is the prime minister, both,” he told reporters.
Earlier, PM Sharif, accompanied by the Pakistani delegation, arrived in Washington, D.C. for his White House meeting with President Trump. At Andrews Air Base, he was received on the red carpet by a senior US Air Force officer before his motorcade, under tight security, departed for the capital.
Sharif later reached the White House, where he met President Trump in the Oval Office. Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir accompanied the Prime Minister during the meeting.
وزیرِ اعظم محمد شہباز شریف کا دورہءِ امریکہ
وزیر اعظم محمد شہباز شریف پاکستانی وفد کے ہمراہ امریکی صدر ڈونلڈ ٹرمپ سے ملاقات کیلئے واشنگٹن ڈی سی پہنچ گئے.
اینڈریوز ایئر بیس پہنچنے پر وزیرِ اعظم کا ریڈ کارپٹ پر امریکی ایئر فورس کے اعلی عہدیدار نے استقبال کیا. وزیرِ اعظم کا… pic.twitter.com/7cSqD8Wi2m
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 25, 2025
Prime Minister Sharif flew from New York to Washington for the meeting and is due to return to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday. His visit marks Pakistan’s highest-level political engagement with the United States since Trump returned to the White House in January for a second term.
Diplomatic sources said that PM Sharif may brief Pakistani media at the conclusion of his US visit, outlining key themes from his meeting with Trump and other international leaders.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was given a red carpet welcome as he arrived in Washington, D.C. along with a Pakistani delegation to meet the United States President Donald J. Trump.
The Prime Minister will reach the White House shortly and will meet US President Donald… pic.twitter.com/PfC4I3Om2q
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 25, 2025
US-Pakistan ties improve under Trump
Relations between Islamabad and Washington have warmed in recent months. Democratic leader Shahid Khan, in an interview with Geo News, described the recent meeting as highly significant, saying it has taken Pakistan-US relations to a new level.
Reflecting on the talks between Pakistan’s top leadership and the US president, Khan — who served on the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts during Joe Biden’s term — said Pakistan has not only reinforced its importance in South Asia but also established a meaningful role in the Middle East.
He argued that Pakistan now holds a permanent place at the table, partly due to India’s missteps, Islamabad’s firm position on the Palestinian issue, and its balanced approach towards Iran.
According to Khan, these factors have earned Pakistan growing respect worldwide, with Western countries and the US relying on it more than ever before.
Khan further noted that Pakistan’s four-day war with India earlier this year demonstrated the nation’s military strength. The conflict, he added, undermined India’s long-claimed status as the region’s “guardian of security” while elevating Pakistan’s role as a decisive player in South Asia’s strategic landscape.
A senior US State Department official told reporters on Tuesday that the two countries were “gradually strengthening cooperation,” particularly in trade, counterterrorism, and regional security.
“Relations with Pakistan are different from our ties with India,” the official said. “We would not let our relationship with one country impact our friendship with another.”
The senior US official said that American firms were already investing “hundreds of millions of dollars” in Pakistan’s mineral sector and were ready to expand into oil exploration. “We see our economic relations with Pakistan growing rapidly,” the official added.
In July, Washington and Islamabad concluded a trade agreement that set tariffs on Pakistani goods at 19 percent, significantly lower than the 50 percent levied on Indian exports to the US.
Trump has yet to finalise a similar deal with New Delhi, where relations have been strained over trade disputes, visa restrictions, and Trump’s repeated claims that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan earlier this year.
India-Pakistan conflict and US mediation
Tensions between India and Pakistan flared in May after New Delhi launched cross-border strikes inside Pakistani territory. In response, Islamabad launched Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, downing six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, according to Pakistani officials. The crisis escalated until Washington stepped in, with Trump claiming to have mediated a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Islamabad has publicly backed Trump’s claims and even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in defusing the standoff. New Delhi, however, has rejected Trump’s claim, insisting no outside power played a mediating role.
The May conflict has since become a defining moment in South Asia’s geopolitics, shaping both Islamabad’s warmer ties with Washington and India’s search for alternative partnerships. Analysts say New Delhi is now recalibrating its relationship with Beijing as a hedge.
Counterterrorism cooperation
Beyond trade and regional politics, senior US officials have emphasised Pakistan’s role in counterterrorism. A senior State Department official credited Islamabad with helping capture terrorists who crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan.
“We work together in many fields in the region,” the official said. “That includes counterterrorism and efforts to bring peace and prosperity to South Asia and the Middle East.”
The official added that Washington valued its security partnership with Islamabad and was keen to expand intelligence sharing and joint operations.
High-level contacts
Thursday’s Oval Office meeting follows two earlier meetings between Trump and Field Marshal Munir in June and August. Such frequent contact between US and Pakistani leaders is rare, underscoring what diplomats describe as “a new phase” in relations.
During his stay in New York earlier this week, PM Sharif attended UN General Assembly sessions, a summit of Muslim leaders, and side meetings with international financial institutions. On Tuesday, PM Sharif joined seven other Muslim-majority leaders in a meeting with Trump to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and potential peace proposals.
Trade and investment prospects
Economic cooperation has become a central plank of the improving relationship. US companies are increasing their investments in Pakistan’s mineral and energy sectors, while both sides are exploring opportunities in oil exploration.
“American companies are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the discovery of minerals in Pakistan,” a senior US official said. “We are ready to do the same for the discovery of oil.”
While Trump has highlighted Pakistan’s importance, his relations with India have grown tense. Tariffs on Indian goods, visa restrictions affecting Indian workers, and his insistence that he mediated the May ceasefire have all fuelled friction with New Delhi.
“India remains important for the United States,” a US official said this week, “but we are working through a number of issues.”
