Published on, Sept. 28 -- September 27, 2025 11:58 PM

The optics could not have been better: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Oval Office, Army Chief Asim Munir beside him, Donald Trump across the table. For the first time in many, many years, a Pakistani civilian leader was back in the White House for a formal sit-down. Unlike past visits dominated by demarches to "do more," this one carried the optics of approval: a visible pat on the back. The meeting lasted roughly 75-80 minutes, by pooled timings, and touched on investment, counterterrorism, and Gaza.

But while Washington produced optics of seriousness, New York broadcast a fiasco.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's interview with Mehdi Hasan should have been an opportunity to pr...