President George Bush met then-Pakistan Army chief Pervez Musharraf, who had staged a coup-de-tat and declared himself Marshal-Law Administrator. So, Bush met the head of the Pakistani state, not its army chief.

Some of the militant groups on the border have welcomed the upheaval. Jaish al-Adl (JaA), an Iranian jihadist group formed from ethnic Baluch and Sunni Muslim minorities and which operates from Pakistan, reportedly said Israel’s conflict with Iran was a great opportunity.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was “honoured” to meet Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir and thanked him for not entering the war with India, calling both nations “very smart” for avoiding conflict.