No Invite For Gen Asim Munir, Says US, After India Backlash Over Parade Rumours

In a sharp twist to a controversy stirring both sides of the globe, the White House has denied that Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir was invited to the grand US military parade in Washington - a clarification that came just in time to calm a growing diplomatic storm.

Reports that General Munir, a key figure in Pakistan's military establishment, had received an invite to the June 14 military parade sparked an uproar in India, especially after the country's bold precision strikes under Operation Sindoor just days earlier. But the United States has now quashed the speculation. "This is false. No foreign military leaders were invited," a White House official told ANI, putting an end to the rumours.

Still, the damage had been done politically. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh quickly latched on to the initial reports, calling it a "strategic and diplomatic failure" by India. "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," he wrote on X.

He also pointed out that Munir had made provocative comments just before the Pahalgam terror attack and questioned Washington's motives.

But the BJP didn't let that pass. In a scathing response, party leader Amit Malviya accused Ramesh of "spreading misinformation" and "parroting Pakistan's narrative." He fired back on X, writing, "Driven by his relentless animosity towards Prime Minister Modi, Jairam Ramesh irresponsibly amplified false claims. He not only spread misinformation but cast aspersions on India's foreign policy."

The rumoured invitation didn't just ruffle feathers in India. It caused a stir in the Pakistani diaspora too. Supporters of Imran Khan's PTI party announced plans for protests outside the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. Sajjad Burki, PTI's Overseas Affairs Secretary, urged Pakistanis to gather in protest on June 14, declaring, "Let the White House know that any deal with this government is not acceptable to the people of Pakistan."

Parade, Politics and Power Plays

The US military parade, the largest of its kind in over three decades, marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army and coincides with former President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Trump, expected to take the salute, will preside over a show of might featuring tanks, troops, helicopters, skydivers and military flyovers, a spectacle rarely seen in Washington since the 1991 post-Gulf War parade.

While America celebrates its military heritage, the furore over General Munir's supposed presence added an unexpected international subplot, one that has now been firmly closed but not before leaving ripples in the world of diplomacy and defence.