The Kabul Tribune (KT) — U.S. President Donald Trump has once again praised Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, describing him as “highly respected,” while reiterating his claim that he helped prevent a potential nuclear war between Pakistan and India, Pakistani broadcaster Geo News reported.
Trump made the remarks on Monday during an event in Florida
alongside U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John
Phelan, where he responded to questions from the media.
“We stopped a potential nuclear war between Pakistan and
India,” Trump said, adding that Field Marshal Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif credited him with saving millions of lives by halting the conflict.
Trump claimed that eight aircraft were shot down during the
confrontation and said the fighting was on the verge of escalating further. He
also asserted that he has so far helped stop eight wars globally.
The comments were made during a press conference in Florida
where Trump unveiled plans for a new “Trump class” of battleships, signaling an
expanded U.S. naval buildup.
According to Geo News, Trump has repeatedly taken credit for
easing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, which have fought
three wars since independence and remain locked in a long-standing dispute over
Indian-administered Kashmir.
In May, Pakistan and India experienced their most serious
military escalation in decades following a deadly attack on tourists in the
Pahalgam area of Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi accused Pakistan of
backing the attack, an allegation Islamabad denied.
Following the incident, India carried out attacks on targets
inside Pakistan, which Islamabad said resulted in civilian casualties.
Pakistan’s armed forces later responded, claiming to have shot down seven
Indian Air Force jets, including three Rafale aircraft, along with dozens of
drones. The fighting ended on May 10 after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
Geo News reported that U.S.-Pakistan relations have improved
under Trump after years in which Washington viewed India as a key counterweight
to China in the region.
In June, Trump held a rare one-on-one lunch meeting with
Field Marshal Munir at the White House, thanking him for his role in ending the
conflict. In September, Trump met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field
Marshal Munir at the Oval Office, describing both leaders as “great” ahead of
the meeting.
Trump later praised Munir again in October during a luncheon
at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea,
calling him a “great fighter” and commending both Pakistani and Indian leaders
for their roles in promoting regional stability.
Pakistan has credited Trump with helping secure the
ceasefire and has nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Since then,
Islamabad and Washington have increased high-level diplomatic and military
engagements and finalized a trade deal, reflecting improving bilateral
relations.
