United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is visiting Pakistan from October 6 to 8, with Islamabad’s role in mediating between the United States and Iran expected to be at the centre of his talks.
Guterres left New York for Islamabad at the invitation of the government and is expected back in New York on Thursday, The Express Tribune reported. The Foreign Office said his engagements would highlight Pakistan’s “efforts towards strengthening multilateralism and international peace and security”, Dawn reported.
Who he will meet
- President Asif Ali Zardari
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar
- Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir
He will also visit the headquarters of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control in disputed Jammu and Kashmir, and attend a briefing at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Pakistan’s disaster preparedness since the 2022 floods.
Praise for Pakistan’s mediation
Guterres has repeatedly praised Pakistan’s intense diplomacy in the Middle East conflict, which led to the Memorandum of Understanding that set up a ceasefire between the US and Iran. He has called for a return to dialogue since that ceasefire broke down.
“Over the years, the Secretary-General has seen firsthand how Pakistan has stood by others, having its own people serve under the United Nations flag, and using its diplomacy and mediation to bring parties together when dialogue is most needed,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told APP.
“This spirit is something we have seen time and again over the years, and it is one of Pakistan’s greatest contributions to our shared world,” he added.
Dar told reporters last week that Pakistan had played a “crucial role” in bringing the US and Iran to the negotiating table for the first time in 47 years, with talks in Istanbul in April and an agreement signed on June 18.
A farewell visit
Guterres steps down on December 31 after two five-year terms. He accepted Pakistan’s invitation when Dar and Prime Minister Shehbaz met him at the UN General Assembly in September, where he commended Pakistan’s voice at the UN, its contribution to peace and its sacrifices in fighting terrorism.
His first visit as Secretary-General was in February 2020. He came again in 2022 to show solidarity with the victims of the devastating monsoon floods, a visit that left a deep impression on flood-hit communities.
Two of the six candidates to succeed him, Maria Fernanda Espinosa and Olara Otunnu, have also visited Pakistan in recent months and praised its peace efforts.
Kashmir in view
The visit to UNMOGIP is significant for Pakistan, which has asked the UN this month to press India over the Indus Waters Treaty and has rejected India’s claim that Kashmir is an internal matter. The observer group’s presence is a reminder that the UN still treats Kashmir as an unresolved dispute.
Why it matters
A visit by the UN chief at a moment of war in the Gulf underlines Pakistan’s standing as a peacemaker between Washington and Tehran. It gives Islamabad a high-profile platform for its positions on Iran, Kashmir and climate resilience, just as the search for a lasting deal stalls. Read our reports on Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir at the UN and on Trump’s comments on the Iran war.
This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune, Dawn and APP.
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