Major Embarrassment For Pak: PM, Field Marshal Forced To Wait As Trump Acknowledges 'We're Late'

Washington: Ahead of his scheduled meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, US President Donald Trump addressed reporters from the Oval Office, saying, "they're coming, and they may be in this room right now. I don't know, because we're late."
"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," Trump said.
According to the White House's public schedule, Trump held a closed-door session with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Oval Office.
Sharif arrived at the White House shortly before 5 pm as Trump was signing executive orders and talking to reporters. The meeting between the two leaders was closed to the media, with Pakistan's delegation leaving the White House at 6:18 pm.

ALSO READ: Donald Trump Holds Talks With Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Asim Munir
President Donald Trump hosted Sharif for talks in the latest sign of warming relations between the United States and the South Asian nuclear power.
Sharif was among the top officials from eight Arab or Muslim countries who met with Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly this week to discuss strategy on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Ties have improved between the U.S. and Pakistan as Trump's relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of the Republican president's closest with a world leader during his first term, has become strained over India's increased purchases of discounted Russian oil after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. India and Pakistan are neighbours and fierce rivals.
On September 23, Sharif also had an informal exchange with Trump following a meeting between the US President and leaders of eight Islamic-Arab countries, which also included Pakistan.
"Informal exchange followed the dialogue between President Trump and leaders of eight Islamic-Arab countries, including Pakistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar joined President Donald Trump in the discussion," the Pakistan Foreign Minister stated in a post on X.
After years of strained relations, US-Pakistan ties began warming when Islamabad credited US President Donald Trump for his so-called peace intervention during the military conflict with India in May.
Trump claimed he helped broker a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, using trade and tariff threats--a claim that India has firmly denied.