On September 25, 2025, the White House played host to a meeting that could reshape the trajectory of South Asia’s geopolitics and the United States’ role in the region. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by Army Chief Asim Munir, arrived in Washington for closed-door talks with US President Donald Trump, marking the first official Oval Office meeting between the leaders of the two countries since 2019. The encounter, though shrouded in the usual diplomatic secrecy, signals a thaw in US-Pakistan relations after years of fluctuating fortunes and missed opportunities.
Sharif’s visit was meticulously timed. The Pakistani leader was already in the United States to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where he had joined a select group of senior officials from eight Arab and Muslim nations for a joint meeting with Trump. The agenda: finding a path to peace in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. According to the Associated Press, these side meetings underscored Pakistan’s efforts to act as a bridge between the Islamic world and the West, with Sharif positioning his country at the heart of regional diplomacy.
When Sharif and Munir pulled up to the West Executive Avenue entrance of the White House just before 5 p.m., they were received by senior US administration officials. The meeting itself—a closed-door session in the Oval Office—was historic for Pakistan. Not since Imran Khan’s visit in July 2019 had a Pakistani prime minister been welcomed to the White House, and for Sharif, it was his first such audience with a US president. As reported by The Economic Times, the meeting’s agenda was broad: bilateral ties, regional and international security, counterterrorism cooperation, Afghanistan, and, crucially, economic opportunities.
Trump, never one to shy away from grand gestures, lavished praise on his guests ahead of the meeting. Speaking to reporters, he said, “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.” This warmth stood in sharp contrast to Trump’s earlier rhetoric about Pakistan, which he had once labeled “a terrorist safe haven.” Yet, as India Today and the Boston Herald both highlighted, the relationship has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent months.
What accounts for this sudden shift? The answer lies partly in the changing dynamics of US-India relations. Trump’s once-close ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have cooled, largely due to India’s increased imports of discounted Russian oil following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In response, Trump sharply raised tariffs on Indian goods—up to 50 percent in August 2025—in what he described as an indirect effort to squeeze Russia’s wartime revenue. “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China,” Trump quipped on social media after Modi was photographed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping at a security summit in Tianjin.
Against this backdrop, Washington and Islamabad have been moving closer. In July 2025, the US and Pakistan signed a trade deal expected to open up Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves to American investment while reducing tariffs for Islamabad. According to the Associated Press, the agreement is seen as a win-win: the US gains a foothold in South Asia’s energy sector, and Pakistan secures much-needed economic development. The deal also comes as Trump’s administration seeks to revitalize US engagement in Afghanistan, with the president underscoring the strategic importance of retaking Bagram Air Base due to its proximity to China’s nuclear assets.
For Sharif, the visit capped a whirlwind week of diplomacy. In addition to the White House talks and the UNGA, he addressed the UN Climate Summit and was scheduled to deliver Pakistan’s formal speech to the Assembly the following day. But perhaps the most significant development was the personal rapport he has cultivated with Trump. In June, Trump hosted Munir for lunch at the White House. Shortly afterward, Munir nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his administration’s role in mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after weeks of border clashes and missile strikes triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir.
The ceasefire, reached in May 2025 after US-led talks, was hailed by Sharif’s government as a breakthrough. Pakistan gave Trump credit for his peace intervention, while Trump himself claimed to have brokered the truce using trade and tariff threats. Indian Prime Minister Modi, however, vehemently denied any foreign influence in the operation, maintaining that India acted independently. The contrasting narratives highlight the delicate dance of diplomacy in the region, where every gesture is scrutinized for its deeper meaning.
Not all was harmony, though. Pakistan split with Trump on his decision to order US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025. Islamabad condemned the attack as “a serious violation of international law” and criticized the move as undermining the stature of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The episode revealed the limits of US-Pakistan alignment and underscored Islamabad’s desire to maintain its own strategic autonomy, particularly when it comes to relations with neighboring Iran.
Still, the overall trajectory of the relationship is upward. Trump’s administration has not only welcomed Sharif and Munir to the White House but also signaled a willingness to deepen economic and security cooperation. The recent trade agreement is expected to boost Pakistan’s economy, and the prospect of American investment in its oil sector represents a significant shift from the aid-based paradigm that has long defined US-Pakistan engagement.
Meanwhile, Trump has tried to keep the door open to India. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote, “I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks. I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!” The message was clear: while relations with Pakistan are warming, the US is not prepared to abandon its strategic partnership with India.
For Pakistan, the symbolism of the White House visit cannot be overstated. It marks a return to the diplomatic mainstream for a country that has often found itself on the periphery of US foreign policy priorities. For Trump, the meeting offers a chance to reset the narrative in South Asia, leveraging personal diplomacy and transactional deals to advance American interests.
The closed-door nature of the talks means that many details remain under wraps. But the broad contours are clear: a recalibration of alliances, a focus on economic opportunity, and a willingness to engage—even with old adversaries—when the stakes are high. As the world watches, the question now is whether this new chapter in US-Pakistan relations will deliver lasting results or merely add another twist to the region’s complex story.