ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office has firmly denied reports suggesting that Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir is scheduled to undertake another visit to the United States in the near future, calling such claims premature and unconfirmed.
The clarification came on Thursday during the Foreign Office’s weekly press briefing, where spokesperson Tahir Andrabi responded to questions about a recent Reuters report. The report had claimed that Field Marshal Munir was expected to travel to Washington in the coming weeks to meet US President Donald Trump, with discussions likely to focus on the Gaza force and broader strategic issues. According to Reuters, the information was attributed to two sources, including one described as a key figure in the CDF’s economic diplomacy.
Rejecting the report, Andrabi said that it gave the impression that a visit had already been finalized. “The Reuters story was showing as if the visit had been planned, and there was a finality about it. So, I am contradicting that and I’m contradicting the fact that a visit has been agreed or planned,” he stated.
The Foreign Office spokesperson emphasized that he had no official information regarding the timing or confirmation of any future visit by the army chief to the United States. He added that such high-level foreign visits are always announced formally by the Government of Pakistan once they are finalized. “We obviously will wait for an official announcement that the Government of Pakistan makes about such a visit,” Andrabi said.
Responding to a follow-up question, Andrabi reiterated that he was aware of media reports circulating about a possible US visit but stressed that he had nothing to share beyond that. “As regards the visit of the Chief of the Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Forces, I do not have any information right now,” he said.
At present, Field Marshal Asim Munir is on an official visit to Libya. According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening defence cooperation with Tripoli during meetings with Libyan officials.
Over the course of this year, Field Marshal Munir has already visited the United States three times, reflecting an active phase in Pakistan-US military and strategic engagement. In June, he met President Donald Trump over a luncheon at the White House, marking the first time a US president hosted Pakistan’s army chief without senior civilian leadership present. The visit was widely seen as a significant diplomatic development.
In August, Munir returned to the US, describing the trip as opening a “new dimension” in bilateral ties. During that visit, he held meetings with senior American political and military officials and interacted with members of the Pakistani diaspora.
Most recently, in September, Field Marshal Munir accompanied Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the White House, where they met President Trump to discuss regional security, counter-terrorism cooperation, and other strategic matters. Ahead of that meeting, Trump publicly praised both Pakistani leaders, referring to Munir as a “great leader.”
Despite ongoing speculation, the Foreign Office maintains that no new visit has been scheduled, urging media outlets and the public to rely on official announcements for confirmation.
