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Vani Vyshnavi Jupudi
30 October 2026 |
From 6 to 8 October 2026, UN Secretary-General António Guterres was in Pakistan on an official visit, invited by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. It was his third trip to the country as Secretary-General. The first came in February 2020, and the second during the devastating floods of 2022. This one is likely to be his last, since his term ends on 31 December. He met Dar, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir. He also visited the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the headquarters of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), and spoke at the Foreign Service Academy. The Foreign Office had said beforehand that the visit would highlight Pakistan’s work on multilateralism, international peace and security, and disaster preparedness.
US-Iran mediation: a public endorsement from the UN chief
The clearest message of the visit came at Guterres’s joint press conference with Dar. As Dawn reported, he credited Pakistan’s efforts with helping to deliver “the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, the subsequent ceasefire and the framework for future negotiations.” Then he went further: “Every Pakistani should be proud of that pivotal role.” Geo dated the memorandum to 17 June. Guterres also urged all sides to end the conflict, return to diplomacy and restore navigational rights under international law. He repeated his appreciation at General Headquarters, where, according to the ISPR, he praised Pakistan’s efforts to resolve regional conflicts peacefully. This builds on the Islamabad Talks between the US and Iran, which Pakistan hosted in April.
Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty: Pakistan’s positions on record
Pakistan raised Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty in almost every meeting. In press conferences, Dar called India’s decision to hold the treaty in abeyance “a blatant violation of international law” and asked New Delhi to stop ”weaponizing water.” The UN’s "consistent position" was also welcomed by Pakistan. According to the President’s Secretariat, Zardari told Guterres that the treaty is binding and cannot be suspended unilaterally, and that Kashmir should be resolved under UN resolutions. The ISPR said Munir discussed both issues. The Foreign Office spokesperson later said the Kashmir dispute had been “duly highlighted.” Guterres himself, in Dawn’s account of his remarks, did not mention Kashmir. He did visit UNMOGIP, which has monitored the ceasefire line since 1949, to pay tribute to its staff and to peacekeepers worldwide. India has held the 1960 treaty in abeyance since April 2025.
Terrorism and Afghanistan: solidarity, with an emphasis on law and refugee protection
Dar spoke of Pakistan’s “deep concern” over the continued use of Afghan soil for attacks on the country and asked the UN for help. Zardari said Pakistan had shared evidence of outside support for terrorist proxies, and the ISPR said Munir raised terrorism coming from Afghanistan. Guterres offered clear solidarity: “We stand with Pakistan in confronting this threat of terrorism.” But he added, as Dawn reported, “the strongest and most effective security responses are those grounded in international law, human rights and the rule of law.” On refugees, he recalled that Pakistan had “opened its doors to millions of Afghans” and said the UN would work to make sure their returns are “voluntary, safe and dignified.” He knows the subject well. Before becoming Secretary-General, he spent ten years leading the UN refugee agency.
Peacekeeping, climate and UN reform: Pakistan’s place in the system
The most visible gesture was Zardari’s decision to confer the Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Guterres, an honour Pakistan had never before given to a UN Secretary-General. Guterres returned the warmth. He remembered the more than 180 Pakistanis who have lost their lives as UN peacekeepers, and credited Pakistan, alongside Denmark, for Resolution 2823, which seeks accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. Dar reminded his guest that Pakistan initiated Resolution 2788 on the peaceful settlement of disputes, and said Pakistan supports the UN80 reforms, provided developing countries are not sidelined. Climate was never far from the conversation either; Guterres’s schedule included an NDMA briefing on early warning. He described Pakistan as being “on the frontlines of climate chaos despite contributing only a tiny fraction of global emissions,” and said bluntly that the G20, responsible for 80 per cent of emissions, must cut them drastically this decade. Zardari and Dar both thanked him for standing by Pakistan during the 2022 floods.
To conclude
The visit gave Pakistan public endorsement of its mediation between Washington and Tehran. The visit also provided a platform to set out its position on Kashmir, the Indus waters and Afghanistan, and recognition for its role in peacekeeping and climate diplomacy. Guterres paired solidarity with a reminder about international law when it came to terrorism and refugees. The gains from the visit were largely symbolic, with no new agreements that were announced. With two of the six candidates to succeed him have already visited Pakistan and me the Prime Minister. The real test now for Islamabad is whether it can carry this goodwill into its relationship with the next Secretary General.
References
“CDF Munir reaffirms Pakistan’s commitment to international peace in meeting with UN chief,” Dawn, 7 October 2026.
“UN chief due in Islamabad today,” Dawn, 6 October 2026.
“UN chief hails Pakistan’s ‘pivotal role’ in US-Iran conflict, calls for ‘return to diplomacy’,” Dawn, 6 October 2026.
“UN chief’s visit this week to highlight Pakistan’s efforts towards multilateralism: FO,” Dawn, 5 October 2026.
“UN chief lauds Pakistan’s mediation role,” Express Tribune, 7 October 2026.
“UN chief praises Pakistan’s peace efforts on regional conflicts in meeting with CDF Munir,” Express Tribune, 7 October 2026.
“UN chief lauds Pakistan’s trusted mediatory role in US-Iran conflict,” Geo News, 6 October 2026.
“Transcript of the Press Briefing by the Spokesperson on Friday 09th October, 2026,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Pakistan, 9 October 2026.
“UN Secretary-General Concludes Visit to Pakistan,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Pakistan, 8 October 2026.
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