Washington, June 18 -- US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) hosted Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House for a lunch meeting, praising Munir for his role in preventing the escalation of the conflict between India and Pakistan.

Trump said, "Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it..."

The luncheon meeting took place amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, with Trump considering possible US involvement.

South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman pointed out the significance of the meeting in a post on X.

"Senior US officials often engage with Pakistani Army Chiefs, but rarely is one hosted at the White House by the US President. One of many reasons why Munir's sch...