UN chief Guterres arrives in Pakistan for 2-day visit

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Islamabad in the early hours of Tuesday for a two-day official visit, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

The FO said the UN chief was visiting Pakistan from October 6 to 8 at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

“Upon arrival, the secretary-general was received by Acting Foreign Secretary Ambassador Nabeel Munir,” FO said in a post on social media platform X.

The visit comes as Guterres’ 10-year tenure as UN chief is set to end on Dec 31. During the visit, Guterres is set to meet President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, as well as Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, the FO said on Monday.

The UN chief is also scheduled to visit the headquarters of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and attend a briefing at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) headquarters.

In its Monday statement, FO said that during Guterres’ visit, Pakistan’s “efforts towards strengthening multilateralism and international peace and security, as well as its strides towards disaster preparedness and early warning, will be highlighted”.

It stated that the visit will offer an important opportunity to reiterate Pakistan’s longstanding cooperation with the UN and to exchange views on regional and international developments.

PM Shehbaz met Guterres on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last month. The two discussed major regional and international developments, including the situation in the Middle East.

In that meeting, Guterres commended Pakistan’s role and strong voice at the UN, as well as its contribution to international peace and security. The UN chief also appreciated Pakistan’s role and sacrifices in countering terrorism.

Guterres’ first visit to Pakistan as the UN secretary general was in February 2020, about three years after he was elected to the position in 2016.

In recent months, two of the six candidates vying to succeed Guterres have visited Pakistan and met PM Shehbaz. During their separate meetings in July and September, respectively, María Fernanda Espinosa and Ambassador Olara Otunnu praised Pakistan’s role in efforts to promote