Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Munir waited 30 minutes at White House to meet Trump

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir at the Oval Office in Washington, marked Sharif’s first meeting with a US President and the first such engagement between the two countries’ leaders in six years.

According to media reports, both Sharif and Munir were made to wait for 30 minutes at the White House, as President Trump was occupied with signing executive orders.

They had arrived at the White House around 2.30. However, the meeting started 30 minutes late.

There was no official photos of the meeting have been released by the US administration, images from the White House press pool showed both leaders waiting inside the premises.

Trump also acknowledged being late for the meeting.

“They may be in this room right now, I don’t know because we’re late…they actually may be somewhere in the beautiful Oval Office,” Trump told reporters as Sharif and Munir waited outside his office.

Pakistan described the meeting as cordial and stated that US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were also present.

According to the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office, the meeting was held behind closed doors, with no press access permitted.

Shehbaz Sharif is currently in the US for the UNGA session being held in New York.