Did the US invite Pakistan's Army Chief to the grand military parade? Here's the answer
The military parade is billed as one of the largest military shows in the US and held amid protests around the country against Trump, dubbed as 'would-be king'
Amid a strong backlash in India over reports that Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir, was invited to attend the grand US military parade, the White House on Sunday (June 15) stoutly denied any such invitation.
A White House official told the Indian media that this is "false" and that "no foreign military leaders were invited”.
The Congress party had slammed the Modi-led NDA government for what they called a major diplomatic setback after reports claimed that the US had invited Asim Munir for the US military parade.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) party too lashed out at the Modi government for being "blind supporters" of Trump and not sufficiently outraged at this so-called invitation to General Munir. Meanwhile, Pakistan appears to be on the backfoot in its one-upmanship game with India since its delegation, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari failed to meet any senior US officials above the rank of an Under Secretary.
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Grand show of strength
Meanwhile, the grand military parade on June 14, which is billed as one of the largest military shows in the US, was held amid the protests that have broken out around the country against Trump, who is being dubbed as a "dictator and would-be king".
This military parade, which is an attempt by the US to showcase its defence capabilities and boost US President Donald Trump's image, is considered to be an unusual move considering the US does not have a tradition like India's Republic Day or France's Bastille Day parades.
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Trump explained it thus: “Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too." However, the parade marks the formal founding of the US Army on June 14, 1775, to fight the British colonialists, a year before the US attained Independence.
Tanks and troops passed through Constitution Avenue in Washington. The President sat on a special viewing stand south of the White House to watch the display of American military might. During the event, the president praised the strength of the military's fighting forces and said US soldiers “fight, fight, fight and they win, win, win”. This is a new twist to these words delivered during his 2024 campaign rallies after he survived an assassination attempt.
The last time US held a military show was in 1991when the US defeated Iraq in the First Gulf War to liberate Kuwait.
'No Kings'
Meanwhile, anti-Trump activists, including civil-rights groups and labour unions, organised the nationwide protest under the banner of “No Kings,” hitting out at Trump’s authoritarian tendencies.
Also read: US calls Pak 'phenomenal partner': Is it not setback for India? Congress asks PM
Major demonstrations took place in Philadelphia and in Los Angeles, where the opposition to immigration raids prompted Trump to seize control of California’s National Guard and deploy US Marines.