The White House has rubbished reports that it invited Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir, to the Military Parade held on Saturday coinciding with US President Donald Trump’s birthday celebrations.
“This is false. No foreign military leaders were invited,” the White House said. The parade was held to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its armed forces,
The reports that Munir was invited to the event had spread like wildfire prompting protests within India and among supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, staged a protest in front of the Pakistan Embassy in Washington D.C against Asim Munir’s reported arrival in the US.
The false report had triggered speculations in India, too with many slamming it as “a setback for India’s diplomatic efforts”. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh was among those who took to X to state that the news “was a big blow for India from a diplomatic and strategic point of view.”
However, it is unclear what the source of the reports was.
Asim Munir was recently promoted to the post of Field Marshal after he claimed to have led Pakistan in the conflict with India.
Meanwhile, speculations are rife that discontent seems to be growing within the Pakistan Army after being sidelined by its Air Force in the recent conflict with India. Defence analyst Ranesh Rajan claimed that Pakistan could be planning a Kargil-like incursion to internationalise the Kashmir issue. He added that the Pakistan Army with nothing to show in the recent conflict may feel emboldened by Munir’s hardline stance and decide to plan an incursion. The awareness that India will not succumb to pressure to hold bilateral talks on issues, including the Indus Waters Treaty, may force Pakistan to resort to asymmetric warfare. This could also involve the use of proxies, he added.
