ISLAMABAD: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will begin a three-day official visit to Pakistan on Tuesday, October 6, at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Foreign Office said on Monday.
During his October 6-8 visit, the UN chief is scheduled to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
According to the Foreign Office, the visit will provide an opportunity for discussions on important regional and international developments as well as Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen multilateralism, international peace and security.
Guterres will also visit the headquarters of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and receive a briefing at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Regional Issues on Agenda
According to an APP report citing UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, Guterres is expected to discuss Pakistan’s mediatory role in the US conflict with Iran and its support for negotiations between the two sides.
Dujarric said Pakistan had used diplomacy and mediation over the years to help bring parties together and had also made significant contributions to the international community through its participation in UN peacekeeping missions.
The UN secretary-general has also praised Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East conflict, which, according to the report, contributed to a memorandum of understanding establishing a ceasefire.
Disaster Preparedness, Kashmir Mission
Guterres is also expected to review Pakistan’s progress in strengthening disaster preparedness, resilience and early-warning systems since the devastating monsoon floods of 2022.
The UN chief had visited Pakistan in 2022 in solidarity with the country following the catastrophic floods.
His visit to UNMOGIP headquarters will provide an opportunity to discuss the UN mission’s role in monitoring the Line of Control in disputed Jammu and Kashmir.
The Foreign Office said Guterres’s visit would reaffirm Pakistan’s longstanding cooperation with the United Nations and its commitment to multilateralism and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
Guterres, whose second five-year term as UN secretary-general is due to conclude at the end of 2026, is expected to return to New York on Thursday.
