ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir held a meeting with US Central Command (CENTCOM) Chief General Michael Erik Kurilla, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday, and emphasized the need to increase joint military trainings between the two countries.
General Munir arrived in Washington last Tuesday on his first official visit to the United States since he became Pakistan’s army chief in November 2022. During his ongoing visit, he has met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Llyod J. Austin along with several other high-profile American security officials.
Pakistan’s army chiefs have frequently visited the US in their tenures as Islamabad and Washington remained strong Cold War allies and have jointly worked on a wide spectrum of issues ranging from regional stability to fighting militancy, particularly during the war in Afghanistan.
The army chief met the US general at the CENTCOM headquarters at Tampa Bay in Florida.
“During the meeting, matters of shared interests, particularly cooperation in regional security matters came under discussion,” the army’s media wing, ISPR, said in the statement issued after the meeting. “Both sides discussed avenues of joint training and reiterated the need for enhancing training interactions between CENTCOM and Pakistan Army.”
The army chief also visited CENTCOM Joint Operations Center during his visit to Florida.
The US State Department also highlighted Pakistan’s significance as an ally, as General Munir continues his visit to the US.
“Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally of the United States and a NATO partner,” Matthew Miller said in response to a question during a media briefing. “We look forward to partnering with them on regional security and defense cooperation.”
Pakistan’s army chief meets senior US general, calls for enhanced bilateral military trainings
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Pakistan’s army chief meets senior US general, calls for enhanced bilateral military trainings
- General Munir is on his first visit to the US since becoming the army chief and has met Antony Blinken, Llyod Austin
- The State Department calls Pakistan ‘major non-NATO ally,’ saying the US wants to partner with it on security issues
Pakistan captain Salman defends ‘X factor’ Tariq’s bowling action
- Pakistani skipper says Usman Tariq’s action has been cleared twice after scrutiny
- Pakistan brace for must-win games at Twenty20 World Cup after India boycott
COLOMBO: Pakistan captain Salman Agha defended off-spinner Usman Tariq’s unorthodox bowling action on Friday and called him the side’s “X factor” on the eve of their Twenty20 World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Colombo.
Tariq, who has played three T20 Internationals since his debut against South Africa in November, has been reported twice for a suspect bowling action in the Pakistan Super League. His bowling style culminates in him pausing near the crease before firing the ball in with a side-arm sling-shot action.
The 28-year-old claimed two wickets in his second T20 International, against Australia, and Australia batsman Cameron Green — one of his two victims in that match in Lahore — made a chucking gesture after being dismissed as he made his way off.
“I don’t understand why we are talking about his action because in my opinion it is a fair action,” Salman told reporters.
“He has been tested twice and he has been cleared.”
“I think there is no problem in his action. Yes, he is the X factor of the team, and where we feel that we need an X factor, we will definitely use him.”
Having decided to boycott their Group A contest against defending champions India over political tensions between the neighboring nations, Pakistan will have little margin for error in their bid to qualify for the Super 8 stage.
Apart from India, the group also contains the United States, who stunned Pakistan via the Super Over in the 2024 edition of the tournament.
Salman said they would have to be at their best even against second-tier teams like Namibia or the Netherlands.
“It is very important because you haven’t played much against these sides and you don’t really know their strength and weakness are,” he said.
“So it is very, very important to bring your A game, and we as a team only think about how we can execute our plans for 40 overs.”
