• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (CAOS), General Syed Asim Munir, has been invited by the United States to attend the 250th anniversary of the US Army, according to a report by CNN-News18. However, an official confirmation from the US side is still awaited. Munir is reportedly set to arrive in Washington DC, following an invitation from his American counterpart to participate in the US Army's 250th anniversary celebrations.

The main festivities for the US Army parade will be held on Saturday, June 14, coinciding with US President Donald Trump's birthday, The News reported. Munir has been invited to the commemorative event. This visit comes weeks after a conflict between India and Pakistan. The US Army's 250th anniversary will be marked with a large-scale festival and parade in Washington on Saturday, June 14.

US Army's 250th anniversary

The event is expected to feature approximately 6,600 soldiers, 150 military vehicles, and over 50 aircraft. The most recent time the US hosted a military parade was in 1991, to mark the end of the Gulf War. The National Victory parade featured around 8,000 service members, and about 2,00,000 people watched the parade. According to The Washington Post, the event cost USD 8 million, as per CBS News.

ALSO READ: 'Osama Bin Laden Felt Safe In Pakistan': Jaishankar Warns Pak Terrorism Will Eventually Haunt World

US's policy shift for Pakistan

The invite came at a time when India and Pakistan relations nosedived following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam and a subsequent counter-attack by India on terror hideouts in Pakistan and PoK. The invitation could also be seen as the Trump administration's policy shift towards the country which America put into the grey list of the FATF, or Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental body that sets international standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. 

‘Pakistan Is Our Phenomenal Partner In Counter-Terrorism’: US CENTCOM Chief

Earlier on Wednesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief General Michael “Erik” Kurilla described Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in the global fight against terrorism. His remarks came during a congressional hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, just weeks after India intensified its diplomatic push to expose Pakistan’s role in supporting cross-border terrorism, following the deadly Pahalgam attack in April.

ALSO READ: Pakistan Hikes Defence Spending By 20% In Budget Amid Tense Relations With India

General Kurilla, who is set to retire this summer, cited Pakistan’s role in combating ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) militants, particularly along the Afghan-Pakistani border. "Right now, what we saw is the Taliban going after ISIS-K... They hate each other and pushed a lot of them into the tribal areas on the Afghan-Pakistan border," Kurilla said. "Through a phenomenal partnership with Pakistan, they have gone after ISIS-K, killing dozens of them."

(With inputs from agency)