Islamabad, Aug 7 (NationPress) Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, is anticipated to travel to the United States this week for discussions with his American counterparts, according to reports from local media on Thursday.

This upcoming visit marks a reciprocal trip following General Michael Erik Kurilla, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), who visited Pakistan in July. During General Kurilla's stay in Islamabad, he was awarded the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (military) by the Pakistani government, as reported by the prominent daily, Dawn.

This will be Munir’s second trip to the US in recent months, following his previous visit to Washington in June, where he was hosted for lunch by US President Donald Trump at the White House.

While the Inter-Services Public Relations or the Pakistani Embassy in the US has yet to officially confirm Munir's upcoming visit, he had previously suggested that a return to the US might happen later this year.

During his June visit, Munir engaged in extensive talks with the US President regarding the strengthening of bilateral trade relations. Reports indicate that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Representative for Middle Eastern Affairs Steve Witkoff also participated in these discussions.

Munir was accompanied by Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik, the Director General of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). According to the ISPR, a meeting initially set for one hour extended to over two hours, highlighting the depth and warmth of the dialogue.

However, Munir's visit faced significant challenges due to widespread protests from members of the Pakistani diaspora and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Although his trip was framed as a move towards enhancing military and strategic ties with Washington, it was marred by backlash from overseas Pakistanis, turning his stay at a luxury hotel in Washington into a scene of charged demonstrations.

Demonstrators accused Munir of human rights violations, labeling him with terms like 'Pakistanio ke qatil' and 'Islamabad ke qatil', translating to 'killer of Pakistanis' and 'killers of Islamabad', respectively. A widely circulated video depicted one protester shouting, 'Geedad, geedad, geedad' (jackal, jackal, jackal), a derogatory term implying cowardice and deceit. This clip quickly gained traction on social media, described by analysts as a public embarrassment for the Pakistani military establishment.