ISLAMABAD: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres arrived on Tuesday for a three-day official visit to Pakistan, with leadership meetings and disaster-preparedness briefings on his programme.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar invited Guterres to Pakistan. Acting Foreign Secretary Ambassador Nabeel Munir welcomed him on arrival.
Guterres plans to meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. His programme includes talks with Dar and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. Munir serves as Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said discussions would cover regional and international developments and cooperation with the UN.
Guterres will visit the headquarters of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). He is due to attend a briefing at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The ministry expects other engagements to showcase Pakistan’s work on international peace and security, disaster preparedness and early-warning systems. It described the visit as an expression of Pakistan’s support for multilateralism and the UN Charter.
The UN recalled that Guterres last visited Pakistan in 2022 to meet communities affected by devastating floods. During the NDMA briefing, he plans to review improvements in preparedness and resilience since the floods, the UN said.
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UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric praised Pakistan’s peacekeeping service and efforts to bring parties into dialogue, speaking to the Associated Press of Pakistan.
He called that record “one of Pakistan’s greatest contributions to our shared world”. The official visit runs until Thursday.
