President Donald Trump, in a move dripping with transactionalism, has rolled out the red carpet for Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Syed Asim Munir. Recently anointed a “Field Marshal" for saving Pakistan from India’s fury by securing a “ceasefire," Asim Munir is now in Washington.

He arrives not as a statesman representing a nation, but as an exposed military leader with a begging bowl, seeking to mortgage his country’s strategic alignment for his institution’s financial and political survival.

But this time, there was a crucial and unexpected prologue. Just before meeting Munir, President Trump requested a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the 35-minute conversation, PM Modi made India’s new doctrine vis-à-vis Pakistan crystal clear. He briefed Trump on Operation Sindoor, framing it as “measured and precise", and made it clear that terrorism is now considered an actual war by India.

The operation, he warned, is merely paused, and would resume with renewed ferocity were Pakistan to attempt any misadventure. With that single phone call, Munir’s mission was kneecapped before it even began. He arrives not to a blank slate, but to a chessboard where India has already placed his king in check.

Munir’s itinerary, reportedly including meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, is not a diplomatic courtesy. It is a coronation. It confirms who truly wields power in Islamabad, and it is not the man with the title of ‘Prime Minister.’ The meeting between an American President and a Pakistani Army Chief, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is relegated to the sidelines, is the most........

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