Pakistan Embarrassed? Shehbaz Sharif Left Out As Trump Names Army Chief Asim Munir In Abraham Accords Push

US President Donald Trump has appealed to several Muslim-majority countries to join the Abraham Accords, but Trump named Pakistan’s army chief General Syed Asim Munir instead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The choice of name, made in a Truth Social post urging wider regional peace including Iran, has renewed debate about Pakistan’s power structure and its long-standing policy on Israel.

In the post, Trump said countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt and Türkiye should formalise relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework. That framework first emerged during Trump’s earlier term in the White House. Trump correctly cited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by their formal titles in the same message.

Abraham Accords and Trump’s outreach to Pakistan

The reference to Pakistan, however, stood out. Instead of naming Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Trump wrote that Pakistan was represented by "Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah". The title itself is incorrect, as Syed Asim Munir currently serves as Chief of Army Staff. The omission of the elected leader drew attention to the military’s continued influence over Pakistan’s external and security policies.

Analysts in Islamabad and Washington say this is not an isolated gesture. Trump had already praised Syed Asim Munir in public remarks last year, calling the army chief a "very great guy" while speaking about diplomatic contacts with Pakistan. According to regional observers, Munir has managed to secure direct lines of communication with Trump and key figures in Trump’s inner circle.

Abraham Accords and Pakistan’s Israel policy dilemma

Trump’s push for Pakistan to join the Abraham Accords touches a sensitive fault line in Pakistani politics. Islamabad has repeatedly said it will not recognise Israel until there is a sovereign Palestinian state. Officials link that recognition to borders based on pre-1967 lines, and insist that East Jerusalem must serve as the Palestinian capital before any change can occur.

Since the Abraham Accords were first signed in 2020, Pakistan has walked a careful diplomatic path. The UAE and Bahrain chose to normalise ties with Israel, later followed by Morocco and Sudan. Pakistan instead kept its distance, citing strong domestic opposition and a long-standing commitment to the Palestinian cause, even as allies in the Gulf deepened cooperation with Israel through United States mediation.

Abraham Accords origins and regional expansion

The Abraham Accords are a collection of US-brokered agreements aimed at normalising relations between Israel and Arab or Muslim-majority states. The initial documents were signed on 15 September 2020 by Israel, the UAE and Bahrain at the White House. The structure later grew to include Morocco and Sudan, marking a wider diplomatic reordering in the Middle East and North Africa.

Kazakhstan officially joined the Abraham Accords in 2025, although Kazakhstan had already maintained open diplomatic ties with Israel since the 1990s. The initiative takes its name from the shared Abrahamic traditions in Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Rather than linking recognition of Israel to a final settlement of the Palestinian question, the agreements emphasise trade, investment, defence cooperation and shared security interests, with a strong focus on concerns about Iran.

Abraham Accords, Pakistan’s military and regional security

Syed Asim Munir has also become a key figure in diplomacy involving Iran. Pakistan shares a lengthy and porous border with Iran, which leaves Pakistan anxious about regional instability. Officials in Islamabad worry that deeper conflict could inflame sectarian tensions inside Pakistan, disrupt fuel supplies, and worsen pressure on an already fragile economy dealing with debt and inflation.

Relations between Pakistan and Washington had deteriorated after the United States withdrew forces from Afghanistan. Pakistan is now trying to repair that relationship while balancing close ties with Gulf partners who have embraced or considered the Abraham Accords. The renewed attention on Munir’s role highlights how Pakistan’s military remains central to managing these overlapping security, economic and diplomatic challenges.

Despite these pressures, Pakistan has held to a clear public line on Israel and the Abraham Accords. Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has repeatedly dismissed speculation that Islamabad might sign the agreements. Dar said Pakistan was not ready to recognise Israel without an accepted two-state solution and stressed there had been no shift in Pakistan’s official Palestine policy, which still demands an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.