Bubbles of Euphoria

Trump's White House lunch with Army chief Asim Munir has created a sense of excitement in Pakistan, but it may be short-lived as the US has its own manoeuvrings

- SHANTANU MUKHARJI

On June 18, in an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump hosted a lunch for visiting Pakistani Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, at the White House. This caused visible ripples among Pakistan and US watchers, as it was an extraordinary occurrence. Unprecedented in the sense that, historically, Pakistani army chiefs, military dictators, and self-proclaimed presidents had visited the White House, but no one had been hosted for a lunch in the manner of the present case—where the hospitality was not only hyped and advertised, but its menu was also made viral. This too was glaring and unusual in the particular case of the Army Chief's visit. The Chief was so overwhelmed that he made a formal recommendation for a Nobel Peace Prize for President Trump.

Now, several opinions are emerging, analysing the fallout of the luncheon meeting. One set of strategic thinkers views this as nothing but a 'put-on' attempt to woo Pakistan, as the US would like to use Pakistani airspace in the ongoing war against Iran launched by the Israel-US combine, with the US stepping up its aerial warfare—as seen in the lethal bombings of June 21 targeting Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. As I write this column, Pakistan has already come under frontal verbal attack by Iran for allowing the use of its airspace.

Having Pakistan on board in this intensified aerial military campaign—and the availability of Pakistani skies—ostensibly saved the US time for effective combat. On the other hand, another set of strategists following Pakistan have called for caution, as Chinese reactions to the lunch meeting have not surfaced yet. Pakistan may have to incur the wrath of China too, for going so close to the US—and that too over lunch bonhomie, which may not be altogether palatable to Beijing.