US President Donald Trump has described Pakistan’s Field Marshal as “a great person and an excellent fighter” during remarks delivered in Washington at the first meeting of the Gaza Peace Board, which was also attended by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The gathering reportedly took place without the presence of certain permanent members of the UN Security Council, including China, Russia and the United Kingdom. Addressing participants, President Trump claimed that he had helped bring an end to eight wars so far, adding that a ninth conflict was nearing resolution.
He stated that he enjoys cordial relations with world leaders and spoke in particularly positive terms about his ties with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Referring to Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, President Trump called him a “great man” and a “very good fighter”.
Touching on tensions between Pakistan and India, Trump said the United States had played a role in preventing escalation when the situation was becoming serious. He further claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been given a clear message that failure to ease tensions could result in strict trade tariffs.
He added that several fighter jets were downed during the period of heightened tensions and noted that it was during this time that his close contact with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had developed.
