Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif met President of United States (US) Donald Trump during a reception banquet hosted by the US president for world leaders on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York last month, with photographs of the interaction released by the White House on Thursday night.
The Press Information Department (PID) shared the photographs on Thursday, showing the two leaders standing together, smiling and shaking hands. No further details about their interaction were provided.
The UNGA debate took place from Sept 22 to 26, with the final sitting held on Sept 28. PM Shehbaz addressed the session on Sept 25, during which Trump also mentioned him in his speech and described him as a “terrific man”.
During his visit to New York, the prime minister also held bilateral meetings with world leaders, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. His visit and participation in the UNGA debate came as Pakistan was playing a role in efforts to mediate de-escalation between the US and Iran.
Shehbaz and Trump have met on several occasions over the past year.
In January this year the two leaders were together at the signing of the charter for the “Board of Peace”, which was constituted primarily to provide a roadmap to end the Israeli genocide in Gaza. They also met at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington DC, in February.
State-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) had reported that the two leaders held an informal meeting at the end of the summit. According to the report, they expressed mutual goodwill and shook hands, while Trump also embraced the prime minister.
The two leaders had also met alongside other world leaders at a ceremony following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas at the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit in Egypt in October 2025.
Their first meeting took place at the Oval Office in Washington on Sept 25, 2025, during which they discussed regional security and cooperation, including counter-terrorism.
