Trump calls Shehbaz a 'terrific man' at the UN and repeats the ceasefire claim

Pakistani feeds have been running one clip since Tuesday night: US President Donald Trump, mid-speech at the 81st UN General Assembly, breaking off to call Shehbaz Sharif "the prime minister of Pakistan, terrific man."

Here is what was actually said, and what it is worth.

The words

Trump listed eight conflicts he says he settled since taking office, naming Pakistan and India, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Gaza. "Since I took office, it has been my honour to help settle eight wars, and in so doing, become friendly with the leaders of many of those countries," he said. The Shehbaz aside came inside that list, alongside the claim that "Donald Trump was responsible for saving 30 million lives and probably many more than that."

The Pakistan and India reference points back to the May 2025 ceasefire that followed the April 2025 attack and the military exchange after it. Trump has repeated a mediation claim over that ceasefire for more than a year. India has consistently rejected the characterisation. Pakistan has welcomed it.

What came with it

Nothing, in policy terms. The speech carried no announcement on tariffs, trade terms, oil, investment or market access involving Pakistan. A friendly clause in a UN speech is a friendly clause in a UN speech.

That distinction matters this week because two things that do move money are live at the same time. The IMF mission is in Islamabad on the review tied to a $1.2bn tranche, which we cover in what the IMF review means for you. And the ADB on Wednesday held Pakistan's FY27 growth forecast at 3.7pc while raising inflation to 8.3pc.

The rupee did not react to the speech. It sits at 277.13 to the dollar, three paisas stronger than Monday, on our USD to PKR page.

Why it went viral here anyway

Recognition from a US president in a room of 190 delegations reads differently in Islamabad than in Washington, and the "terrific man" phrasing is short enough to become a caption. Shehbaz and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar have spent the week in bilateral meetings on the UNGA sidelines, and Dar also pressed the OIC on Afghanistan and terrorism.

The test of the week is not the adjective. It is whether any of the sideline meetings produce something with a number attached to it.