Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is facing criticism at home after presenting rare earth minerals to US President Donald Trump during a recent visit to Washington. The gesture, which was captured in a widely shared photo, has sparked debate over the military’s growing involvement in diplomacy.
The controversy began when Pakistani senator Aimal Wali Khan openly mocked Munir in Parliament. Khan compared the Army chief’s act to a shopkeeper showing off his most expensive items to a customer. “Our Chief of Army Staff is roaming around with a briefcase containing rare earth minerals. What a joke! It was absolute mockery,” Khan said, as a video of his remarks went viral on social media.
Earlier this week, the White House released a photo of Trump examining a wooden box of rare earth minerals presented by Munir. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also present but appeared sidelined during the moment. The presentation took place after a closed-door meeting between Trump, Munir, and Sharif.
The timing of the gesture is notable, as Pakistan’s military-linked construction firm Frontier Works Organisation recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with US-based Strategic Metals to jointly explore strategic minerals in Pakistan. These minerals are considered critical for defence and advanced technology.
This marked Munir’s third visit to the United States in just five months, highlighting Pakistan’s deepening engagement with the Trump administration. But for critics like Khan, the optics send the wrong message. “Which Chief of the Army Staff would go around carrying a briefcase with rare earth minerals? It looked like a big, branded store, a manager watching as a shopkeeper tried to sell a glittery item to his customer,” Khan remarked.
The senator also raised constitutional concerns, questioning Munir’s authority to engage in such diplomacy. “In what capacity? Under which law? This is dictatorship. Is this not contempt of Parliament?” he asked.
Khan has now demanded a joint session of Parliament to seek clarity on Munir’s role, Pakistan’s defence deals with Saudi Arabia, and its support for Trump’s proposed Gaza peace plan.
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
