The invitation of Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to a White House lunch with U.S. President Donald Trump has ignited diplomatic tensions, particularly with India.

Trump’s claim that he brokered a May 2025 ceasefire between India and Pakistan, following a four-day conflict sparked by the Pahalgam terror attack, has been debunked by New Delhi.

India asserts the ceasefire was a direct military agreement, with no U.S. involvement. Yet, Trump persists, linking his alleged mediation to trade incentives and offering to resolve the Kashmir dispute—a proposal India has long rejected. Munir’s visit, amid accusations of his role in the Pahalgam massacre and Pakistan’s military attending terrorist funerals in Muridke, amplifies concerns.

Trump’s narrative, bolstered by Munir’s presence, raises questions: Is this genuine diplomacy or a bid for influence in South Asia? Munir’s provocative rhetoric before the attack, coupled with Pakistan’s overt support for terrorists, underscores his destabilising influence.

The May 2025 conflict, triggered by a Pakistan-backed terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26, escalated with cross-border strikes and nuclear threats. On May 10, a ceasefire was announced, halting hostilities. Trump claimed he mediated a “full and immediate ceasefire" through a “long night of talks." India’s Ministry of External Affairs, however, stated the truce was negotiated directly between the Indian and Pakistani DGMOs, with Pakistan’s DGMO initiating contact at 3:35 PM on May 10 due to military pressure from India’s strikes on Pakistani airbases. No US mediation occurred.

Munir’s role in provoking the conflict is evident: on April 16, he delivered a speech invoking the two-nation theory, calling Kashmir Pakistan’s “jugular vein" and........

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