'We have a great leader coming, the prime minister of Pakistan and the field marshal.'
Ahead of his scheduled meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, US President Donald John Trump addressed reporters from the Oval Office, saying, "They're coming, and they may be in this room right now. I don't know, because we're late."
"We have a great leader coming, the prime minister of Pakistan and the field marshal. Field marshal is a very great guy, and so is the prime minister, both, and they're coming, and they may be in this room right now," Trump said.
Shehbaz Sharif, who is in the US for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly and will address the UNGA podium on Friday, made a brief visit to the US capital from New York for the meeting with Trump on Thursday -- the Pakistani PM's first visit to the White House.
Munir, who was hosted by Trump for lunch at the White House early this summer, accompanied Sharif for the meeting, which was also attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Sharif met Trump in New York on the margins of the UNGA session on Tuesday when the US president held a multilateral meeting with leaders from Arab nations and others, including Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye.
Sharif arrived at the White House around 4.52 pm and was greeted by senior administration officials. Trump signed several executive orders and was speaking to reporters when Sharif and Munir arrived at the White House.
The Pakistani PM's motorcade was seen leaving the White House around 6.18 pm, according to the White House pool.
The last Pakistan prime minister to visit the White House was Imran Khan, who met Trump in July 2019 on an 'official working visit'. Before him, Sharif's brother and then Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif visited the White House in 2015.
The two countries have reached a trade agreement that entails a 19 per cent tariff on Pakistani imports and will allow Washington to help develop Pakistan's oil reserves. US goods and services trade with Pakistan totalled an estimated $10.1 billion in 2024, up 6.3 per cent ($523 million) from 2023.
The US' total goods trade (exports plus imports) with Pakistan was an estimated $7.2 billion in 2024. US goods exports to Pakistan in 2024 were $2.1 billion, up 3.3 per cent ($67.2 million) from 2023.
US goods imports from Pakistan in 2024 totalled $5.1 billion, up 4.8 per cent ($233.9 million) from 2023. The US goods trade deficit with Pakistan was $3 billion in 2024, a 5.9 per cent increase ($166.7 million) from 2023.
After years of strained relations, US-Pakistan ties began warming when Islamabad credited Trump for his so-called peace intervention during the military conflict with India in May.
Trump claimed he helped broker a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, using trade and tariff threats -- a claim that India has firmly denied.
Initially, Pakistan's military leadership stated that the ceasefire was initiated following a direct proposal from its director general of military operations (DGMO) to his Indian counterpart.
However, Islamabad later shifted its stance, attributing the breakthrough to Washington's efforts, even going so far as to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The thaw continued in June when Trump welcomed Munir to the White House. The two men discussed a range of issues, including trade, economic development, and even cryptocurrency.
Just a few weeks later, the Trump administration announced a new trade deal with Pakistan, alongside plans to help Islamabad tap into its 'massive oil reserves'. Munir again visited Washington in August, and during this visit, Pakistan secured a $500 million investment from the US, aimed at bolstering the country's critical minerals sector.