The Congress party has sharply criticised the Union government following reports that US President Donald Trump is set to host Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for a luncheon at the White House — a move they call a significant diplomatic setback for India.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh took to X (formerly Twitter), calling the meeting a “triple jhatka” to India’s diplomacy. He questioned the government’s silence over the meeting, highlighting that Munir has been linked to inflammatory statements allegedly connected to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attacks. Ramesh also suggested that Trump’s early departure from the G7 Summit — before the outreach session involving India — was possibly to accommodate this meeting, remarking sarcastically, “Is this why President Trump abandoned the G7 Summit a day early, denying Mr. Narendra Modi a huge hug?”
He further pointed out that Trump has repeatedly taken credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, implying the premature end of “Operation Sindoor.” Ramesh noted that the US Central Command Chief Gen. Michael Kurilla recently referred to Pakistan as a “phenomenal” counter-terror partner, which he framed as a contradiction to India’s interests.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also lashed out, criticising media personalities and government supporters who had previously dismissed reports of Munir’s US visit. “Now that the news has turned out to be true,” he wrote, “journalists and anchors must choose between loving their country and loving their government.”
A White House schedule confirmed President Trump’s meeting with Asim Munir on Wednesday. Munir, who is currently in the US, has faced protests during his visit, particularly from Pakistani-American activists and supporters of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Demonstrations erupted outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC, where protestors accused Munir of crimes against the people of Pakistan, chanting slogans such as “Pakistanio ke Qatil” and “Islamabad ke Qatil.”
PTI USA shared videos of the protest online, stating, “Pakistani-Americans in Washington, DC are protesting outside the Four Seasons hotel, reminding General Asim Munir of the crimes he’s committed against the people of Pakistan.”
The luncheon and its political fallout come just ahead of the fifth anniversary of PM Modi’s controversial “clean chit” remarks on China, further fuelling Congress’s accusations of foreign policy failure.
