 "(File) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (C) prays after laying wreath on the martyrs' monument during a guard of honor ceremony at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on May 21, 2025. Photo by Handout/ Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). AFP")
The White House on Sunday (June 15) rejected reports that Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir was invited as a guest to the military parade in Washington DC.
“This is false. No foreign military leaders were invited,” news agency ANI quoted a White House official as saying.
Earlier, it was reported that Munir was invited by the Donald Trump administration to the parade, which was organised to mark the 250th anniversary celebrations of the US Armed Forces.
The reports triggered a backlash in India as well as among the Pakistani-American community in the US, who accuse the general of undermining democracy back home and leading a crackdown on the political party of jailed former PM Imran Khan.
In India, the reports prompted the opposition Congress party to criticise the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it a major ‘diplomatic setback’ for New Delhi.
“It is reported that Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir has been invited to the event organised in Washington DC on the occasion of US Army Day (14 June). This news is a big setback for India from a diplomatic and strategic point of view,” senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
“This is the same person who used provocative and inciting language just before the Pahalgam terror attack - the question arises what is America’s intention?” the Congress leader asked.
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On Saturday, President Donald Trump’s long-awaited military parade rolled down Constitution Avenue, featuring tanks, troops, and a 21-gun salute. The event coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday and took place under cloudy skies and light rain, with the president watching from a special stand south of the White House.
“Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too,” Trump declared in brief remarks at the parade’s end.
In contrast, anti-Trump activists, including civil rights groups and labor unions, organised nationwide “No Kings” protests. They criticised the parade, held on Trump’s birthday, as a display of authoritarian tendencies.