Why Pakistanis are mocking Trump’s ‘favourite Field Marshal’ Munir over India-US trade deal

India’s trade deal with the United States has come back to bite Pakistan. The neighbouring country’s citizens are slamming Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after United States President Donald Trump announced reduced tariffs on India.

While the US has slashed taxes on Indian goods from 50 per cent to 18 per cent, Pakistan is facing a 19 per cent rate. This has prompted Pakistanis to mock their leaders, including Munir.

But why? We take a look.

Pakistanis ridicule Munir, Sharif

Pakistanis are targeting their leaders after India and the US reached a trade agreement following months of talks.

On Tuesday (February 3) night, Trump shared pictures of the India Gate and an India Today magazine cover featuring PM Modi and himself.

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Later, he announced the reduced tariffs on Indian exports – 18 per cent, which is one per cent less than Pakistan.

This led to backlash in Pakistan, where people and opposition leaders criticised Islamabad for landing up with more US tariffs than India.

Despite Pakistan “bending backwards” to Trump by nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize and joining the US-led Board of Peace, Pakistan still has a higher tariff rate than India.

New Delhi’s reaching a trade deal with the US without bowing to Trump has stunned Pakistanis. They are now feeling betrayed by the US president.

“Donald Trump has treated Field Marshal like that mistress who makes her lover do all the illegal and dirty work, and when the time comes to give or take something, she says I am compelled to obey my family’s decision, forget me. My body will remain my husband’s, but my soul will always remain yours,” Umar Ali, a Pakistani user, wrote on X. He also shared an AI-generated image of a crying Munir holding a box of rare minerals in front of the India Today cover of Modi and Trump.

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Another AI-generated image showed Pakistan’s PM Sharif serving tea to Trump and Modi.

Memes largely targeted Pakistan’s Army chief, whom Trump has called his “favourite field marshal”.

A parody account of Asim Munir, called Jungjoo Gernail, posted: “In the past 6 months, India concluded free trade agreements with the European Union, United Kingdom, Oman and New Zealand, and now gets Trump tariffs reduced to 18% — all without getting into anyone’s bund or nominating anyone for Nobel Prize.”

Pakistani commentator Ali Mustafa quote-tweeted PM Modi’s announcement on the reduced tariff and wrote: “But…but…but…Field Marshal’s best friend promised….fry-end-ship…ended…****! Roland – another betrayal??!”

A Pakistani creator known for his AI images shared an image of distraught Sharif and Munir alongside Trump and Modi on the India Today cover.

mover, shaker & beggars pic.twitter.com/hzT8BvzBL7

— Bilal AI (@thebilal_a) February 2, 2026

An image shared by Umar Ali displayed Munir sitting at Trump’s feet, with a caption in Urdu reading, “I sat and bootlicked you, but what did I get in return?”

A user shared the India Today magazine cover on X and wrote, “Donald Trump played a splendid game throughout this entire time, he didn’t even let “My Favorite Field Marshal” realize that he had become a fool.”

Another X user posted an AI video of Trump and Modi bullying Munir, even pulling his ears as Pakistan’s Army chief sits with a box of rare earth minerals, while a Bollywood song plays in the background, ”bol tere saath kya kiya jaaye” (what should we do with you now).

کوٹو اس کو
مودی اور ٹرمپ بھائ pic.twitter.com/fjUweiuLlk

— رنگیلا (@khurram2247) February 3, 2026

PTI, critics slam Pakistan govt

Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) minister Hammad Azhar hit out at Islamabad for its sycophantic approach towards the US. “Foreign policy in the 21st century isn’t about optics or personal relationships. It’s about leveraging economic strength, tariffs, and market access. India’s recent trade deals with the EU and the US prove the point. Sycophancy & photo ops are useless,” he wrote on X.

Journalist Imran Riaz Khan also condemned Pakistan’s lobbying efforts and wrote, “The ‘Salesman-in-Chief’ strategy has failed. You can give away Balochistan’s minerals in wooden boxes, but you cannot buy respect.”

Digital creator Wajahat Khan praised India, which he said Trump saw as a “partner”. He wrote, “Trump is a businessman. He saw a manager and a shopkeeper and gave them a shopkeeper’s deal. India came as a partner and walked away with the 18 per cent prize. This is the cost of having a government without the backbone of a public mandate.”

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How Pakistan has been wooing the US

Pakistan has spent millions of dollars on US lobbying firms to influence Trump and win his favour.

Islamabad employed some of Trump’s closest confidants to improve its standing in the US.

Pakistan spent at least three times as much as India on lobbying in Washington, contracts filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed.

Islamabad entered into contracts with six Washington firms for nearly $5 million in eventual retainer fees, reported New York Times (NYT). 

Pakistan extolled Trump, crediting him for ending its military conflict with India in May. New Delhi has maintained that the US was not involved in the ceasefire.

Islamabad also nominated the US president for a Nobel Peace Prize, which he has been coveting for long and has no qualms about declaring publicly.

Pakistan also reached a deal with the US to supply critical minerals and rare earth elements, following Trump’s pledge to work with the South Asian country to develop its “massive oil reserves”. A US firm is investing $500 million in Pakistani minerals.

Despite everything Pakistan did to woo Trump, India has had the last laugh.

With inputs from agencies