Pak Army Chief Set For US Trip, 2nd In 2 Months, Amid Trump's Tariff War

Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is set to visit the US for the second time in two months, according to reports in the Pakistani media. This visit, which signals a deepening of ties between Islamabad and Washington, DC, comes amid rising tension between the US and India over tariffs on exports. It also comes after Trump's trade deal with Pakistan, under which he has offered Islamabad's a preferential tariff rate and plans to explore its oil reserves.

US President Donald Trump yesterday announced an extra 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports as a 'penalty' for New Delhi continuing to import Russian crude oil. Trump warned other countries that buy Russian oil of similar measures. 

After the total tariffs on Indian exports to the US rose to 50 per cent, the Ministry of External Affairs responded that the US targeting India over Russian oil imports is "unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable".

"We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people..."

"It is therefore extremely unfortunate the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India... for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest," the government said.

Earlier, Pakistan Field Marshal Munir visited Washington in June, and Trump hosted him for lunch at the White House. In fact, during his previous visit, Munir had hinted that he expected to return to the US later in the year, according to a report in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn.

Munir's US trip plan also follows a trip to Pakistan by General Michael Erik Kurilla, head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), in July. During this visit, the Pakistani government also conferred the US General with the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (military).

Ties between India and the US have been uneasy in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, India's counterstrike after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that left 26 innocents dead. Trump has repeatedly claimed that he brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, a claim denied by the Narendra Modi government. "We had said from day one that our action was non-escalatory. No leader in the world asked us to stop Operation Sindoor," Prime Minister Modi said during the Operation Sindoor debate in Parliament. Tariff hikes have followed these claims.