Pakistan recasts ties with US for political leverage: Report

Pakistan has recast its ties with the United States for political leverage, said a report.

- Tariq Butt

It said that many world leaders who have visited the White House since US President Donald Trump began his second term in January have not been received warmly. The tense spectacle of Trump's exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remained fresh in public memory.

Against this backdrop, there was keen curiosity about what awaited Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir during their Sept. 25 visit to the White House. Observers speculated over the reception Pakistan's civil and military leadership would receive.

President Trump, known for turning every encounter into a public performance, surprised many by keeping the engagement strictly behind closed doors. The customary Oval Office press appearance before formal talks was conspicuously absent. Instead, the White House released only a short video clip and a few still images, limited but telling glimpses of what transpired.

Judging from the visuals and the official readout, the meeting appeared cordial and constructive, a striking departure from Trump's combative style.