ISLAMABAD – US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth highlighted growing diplomatic engagement between Washington and Islamabad, pointing to Pakistan’s top civilian and military leadership as key partners in regional stability efforts.
Hegseth praised Pakistan’s military leadership, spotlighting Chief of Defence Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for his reported role in sensitive international diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Iran.
"America has a true friendship with Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir,
—US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth pic.twitter.com/l1lDAIzlfg
— Mohsin Ali (@Mohsin_o2) May 30, 2026
He broadened a question about Pakistan-India tensions to stress Pakistan’s growing diplomatic footprint. US war secretary suggested that both Field Marshal Munir and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are actively engaged in peace-related discussions, calling this evolving coordination as an “unexpected development” and even referring to it as a “true friendship” forming between US and Pakistan.
He further stressed that such engagement matters significantly in the context of broader regional stability, particularly in relation to two nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan, where diplomatic progress is seen as crucial for preventing escalation.
Defense Secretary also linked these developments to previous American efforts under President Donald Trump, crediting him with playing a role in helping reduce tensions between India and Pakistan through diplomatic engagement.
In recent times, Field Marshal Asim Munir remained in international headlines amid reports of his involvement in backchannel diplomacy aimed at easing tensions between Washington and Tehran. According to the narrative highlighted, Pakistan’s civilian government and military leadership have worked in close coordination, presenting a unified front in facilitating dialogue during a highly sensitive geopolitical period.
Trump had previously referred to Asim Munir as his “favorite field marshal,” and it fueled discussion among analysts about Pakistan’s expanding strategic relevance and its rising visibility in international diplomatic corridors.
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