Munir's interaction with the Pakistani American community at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington’s Georgetown neighbourhood drew some crowds, the Dawn said.

However, protesters aligned with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of former prime minister Imran Khan demonstrated outside, calling for democratic reforms and the release of their jailed leaders.

Munir also addressed the broader regional landscape, declaring Pakistan’s “clear and strong” support for Iran in its war with Israel while also backing US efforts to de-escalate the situation.

“We want this war to end immediately,” he said.

One of the most consequential developments during Munir’s visit, however, has been Pakistan’s strengthened counterterrorism partnership with the United States, particularly against the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) group, the paper said.

Gen Michael Kurilla, head of US Central Command, recently described Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in the fight against ISIS-K, praising Islamabad’s operations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Gen Kurilla revealed to the House Armed Services Committee that Pakistani operations, supported by US intelligence, had killed dozens of IS-K militants and captured multiple high-value individuals, including Mohammad Sharifullah, one of the masterminds of the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul that killed 13 American troops.

“The first person Munir called was me,” Gen Kurilla said.

“He said, ‘I’ve caught him — ready to extradite him back to the US. Please tell the Secretary of Defence and the President'.” Sharifullah was promptly extradited.

In a separate statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kurilla noted that Pakistan had conducted “dozens of operations” to dismantle IS-K’s presence in the border regions and continues to play a pivotal role in countering terrorism in Central and South Asia.

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