UN Secretary-General Guterres arrives in Pakistan for official visit

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar for a three-day official visit, marking his first trip to Pakistan since touring areas devastated by catastrophic floods in 2022. Acting Foreign Secretary Nabeel Munir received the UN chief upon his arrival, the Foreign Ministry said on social media platform X.

High-level engagements

Guterres is scheduled to hold talks with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Dar, and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir during his stay in the capital. The visit, running from Oct. 6-8, comes as Islamabad seeks to expand its diplomatic footprint on the global stage.

Disaster resilience and UN mission

The Secretary-General is expected to visit the National Disaster Management Authority to assess Pakistan's progress in strengthening disaster preparedness and resilience since the 2022 floods that displaced millions across the country. He will also tour the Islamabad headquarters of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) — a mission established in 1949 to monitor the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in the disputed Kashmir region.

Regional mediation role

Guterres' agenda includes discussions on Pakistan's diplomatic efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran, including Islamabad's role in supporting negotiations between Washington and Tehran. The visit underscores Pakistan's renewed focus on positioning itself as a key mediator in regional conflicts while continuing to recover from climate-induced disasters.