Dar Meets Guterres as UN Chief's Visit Turns to Peace and Security Talks
Dar Meets Guterres as UN Chief’s Visit Turns to Peace and Security Talks
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Islamabad on Tuesday, with the two sides holding detailed discussions on regional and global peace and security.
According to the Foreign Office, the talks covered Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir, Afghanistan, counter-terrorism and the future of multilateralism.
Why the Dar meets Guterres talks matter
The meeting is the centrepiece of Guterres’s two-day official visit to Pakistan, which runs from October 6 to 8. The UN chief arrived in Islamabad in the early hours of Tuesday at Dar’s invitation and was received by Acting Foreign Secretary Nabeel Munir.
The visit carries added weight because it is one of Guterres’s last official trips to a member state. His ten-year tenure as secretary-general ends on December 31, and Pakistan has used the occasion to press its longstanding positions on disputes it says the UN system must address.
On Palestine, Pakistan has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access. On Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad used the meeting to reiterate its demand for a peaceful settlement in line with UN Security Council resolutions. Afghanistan featured heavily too, with Pakistan maintaining that cross-border terrorism remains at the core of the region’s problems, a position it also pressed at this week’s Moscow Format consultations, which ended without a joint statement.
A packed programme for the UN chief
Beyond Dar, Guterres is scheduled to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir during the visit.
The programme also includes a visit to the headquarters of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, the mission that monitors the ceasefire line between Pakistan and India, and a briefing at the National Disaster Management Authority, where Pakistan’s progress on disaster preparedness and early warning systems will be highlighted.
Pakistan is one of the largest contributors of troops and police to UN peacekeeping missions, a record Islamabad regularly cites in its engagement with the world body.
What to watch
The visit comes at a crowded moment for Pakistani diplomacy. Alongside the UN chief’s trip, Pakistan is navigating the fallout from the Moscow talks, an IMF review, and a tense domestic standoff over the PTI’s long march. How much of Tuesday’s discussion translates into movement on Kashmir or Afghanistan at the UN will become clearer in the coming weeks, as Guterres enters the final stretch of his tenure.
What did Dar and Guterres discuss?
Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir, Afghanistan, counter-terrorism and the future of multilateralism, according to the Foreign Office.
How long is Guterres visiting Pakistan?
The UN chief is on a two-day official visit from October 6 to 8, at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. It is one of his final official visits before his tenure ends on December 31.
Who else is Guterres meeting in Pakistan?
His programme includes meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, plus visits to the UNMOGIP headquarters and the National Disaster Management Authority.
