ISLAMABAD: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow amid Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts to help ease tensions between the United States and Iran. During his visit, he is scheduled to hold high-level meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior government officials.
According to the Foreign Office spokesperson and UN sources, Guterres will meet President Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The meetings are expected to focus on the overall regional situation and key international developments.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric has confirmed that a major focus of the secretary-general’s visit will be discussions on the current situation in the Middle East, particularly Pakistan’s diplomatic and mediation efforts aimed at reducing tensions between the United States and Iran.
During his visit, Guterres will also visit the headquarters of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), where he will review Pakistan’s preparedness and response mechanisms for natural disasters, particularly the country’s experience in dealing with devastating floods.
The UN chief is also scheduled to visit the headquarters of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan.
Guterres’ visit comes at a time of heightened regional tensions. He had previously visited Pakistan in 2022 following the devastating floods, gaining firsthand insight into the country’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
