Trump’s outreach to Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir is ‘dangerously short-sighted’: Report

US President Donald Trumps outreach to Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir may seem like transactional diplomacy but the approach is ldquodangerously shortsightedrdquo a report has statedThe Trump administration has relied on Munir as a principal intermediary in USIran diplomacy welcoming him to the White House and highlighting Pakistans role in conveying messages and facilitating dialogue during times of heightened tensionsHowever the US strategy overlooks fundamental strategic divergences rewarding a military establishment whose growing grip on power at home is destabilising the region the United States aims to stabilise Siddhant Kishore a Washingtonbased national security and foreign policy analyst wrote in lsquoThe Cipher BriefrsquoHe mentioned that if the US elevates Munir without insisting on accountability it would neither bring stability to South Asia nor the Middle East Instead he argued it will legitimise a military regime that has learned to profit from crisis repression and its strategic geography reflecting ldquoshorttermismrdquo disguised as diplomacyThe expert said that Pakistan under Munir is not only authoritarian in structure but also coercive in its actions In Pakistanoccupied Kashmir PoK he said mass protests over governance elite privileges and political representation have often turned violent with last months clashes claiming more than 30 lives as police and paramilitary forces remained deployed against demonstratorsHighlighting that Balochistan tells an even grimmer story he noted that prominent Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch was charged in more than two dozen antiterrorism cases following a prolonged period of ldquounlawful detentionrdquo and was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2026 in what rights groups have described as a ldquopolitically motivated and procedurally flawed caserdquoBeyond its borders he said Pakistans military operations in Afghanistan have also been marked by recklessness and widespread devastation Stressing that these instances of repression unfold amid deepening militarisation in Pakistan Kishore said that President Trump has repeatedly hosted and publicly lauded Munirmdashcalling him his ldquofavouriterdquo and crediting Pakistan with special insight into IranrdquoldquoTrump has publicly credited Pakistan with special insight into Iran noting that Pakistanis know Iran very well better than mostrsquo Munir has been positioned as a backchannel messenger and facilitator during periods of USIran tension In reality however Munirrsquos role in the negotiations deserves scrutiny not applause It appeared to align with Tehranrsquos demand that Washington ease pressure before talks could proceed Munir reportedly told Trump that the US blockade of Iranian ports was a major obstacle to negotiations reinforcing Iranrsquos position rather than balancing between both sidesrdquo Kishore statedWarning that Washingtonrsquos growing engagement with Islamabad risks empowering the Pakistani military establishment he said ldquoPakistanrsquos regional aspirations do not align cleanly with US priorities It hedges with Iran deepens ties with China antagonises India suppresses democratic dissent and uses its militarycommercial complex to convert foreign engagement into domestic powerrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever