- A Pak senator accused Asim Munir of behaving "like a salesman" while the PM looked on "like a manager"
- Khan questioned the capacity in which the Army chief was negotiating with foreign leaders
- The controversy comes as the US and Pakistan announced new cooperation agreements
Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is facing a storm of criticism after his latest high-profile visit to Washington, which was his third in less than six months.
A photograph from the Oval Office showing Munir and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presenting a box of Pakistan's rare earth minerals to US President Donald Trump has triggered a political uproar and raised uncomfortable questions back home.
The gesture, meant to highlight Pakistan's mineral wealth, instead turned into a political embarrassment. In the country's parliament, Senator Aimal Wali Khan accused Munir of behaving "like a salesman" while the prime minister looked on "like a manager watching the drama".
He questioned in what capacity the Army chief was negotiating with foreign leaders, calling it a "joke with the constitution" and a "contempt of parliament".
"This is dictatorship, not democracy," Khan thundered, demanding a joint session of Parliament to seek clarification on Pakistan's support for Trump's peace plan, details of a reported defence deal with Saudi Arabia, and why Munir was conducting diplomatic outreach typically reserved for civilian leaders.
The controversy comes as the US and Pakistan announced new cooperation agreements, including mineral exports and refinery projects with American and European firms. While the government praised the deals as a path to economic revival, critics argue that the optics of the Army chief leading such initiatives undermine civilian authority and project Pakistan as weak internationally.
This is not the first time Munir's overseas diplomacy has raised eyebrows. His back-to-back visits to Washington have fuelled speculation about the military's expanding role in foreign policy, overshadowing civilian leadership at a time when Pakistan is battling economic crisis and political unrest.
Analysts say the uproar reflects deep public frustration with the military's dominance over governance. "The image of an army chief pitching minerals to Trump is symbolic of how Pakistan's institutions have been inverted," said one commentator. "Instead of strengthening democracy, it makes the country look desperate and militarised."
