Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will visit the United States next week to attend high-level events of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and “certain” other engagements in Washington, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Saturday.
Earlier this month, Pakistan assumed presidency of the UNSC, marking the country’s eighth term on the 15-member body and its first presidency since 2013. Islamabad began its current two-year term as a non-permanent member in January 2025 and will serve through the end of 2026.
Dar will visit the US to “attend the high-level signature events of Pakistan’s UN Security Council (UNSC) Presidency in New York, as well as for certain engagements in Washington”, the FO said in a statement.
The statement, which did not specify the dates of Dar’s visit, mentioned at least four UNSC-affiliated events that he will attend. His expected engagements in Washington, the hub of the White House, come amid ongoing trade talks between the countries.
To express Pakistan’s “strong commitment and unwavering support” for the right to self-determination of Palestinians, Dar will also attend a high-level conference on the “Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the implementation of Two-State Solution”.
The conference was originally planned for June but was postponed due to the Iran-Israel war, which also led to the rescheduling of Dar’s visit. According to The Guardian, the moot will now be held on July 28 and 29.
While in New York, Dar will chair a high-level open debate on “Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes”. The debate will aim at exploring ways to strengthen multilateralism and enhance diplomacy and mediation for the peaceful settlement of disputes, the FO said.
In addition, the deputy premier will preside over the UNSC’s Quarterly Open Debate on the “Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question”.
Pakistan’s high-level participation in UNSC’s Quarterly Debate on the Middle East, as well as the global conference on the Palestine question, “is a testimony to Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to and support for the Palestinian cause”, the FO stressed.
Dar will also chair a high-level UNSC briefing that will focus on enhancing cooperation between the UN and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The meeting will be held as part of Pakistan’s efforts to “strengthen collaboration between the OIC and the UN for the maintenance of international peace and security”, according to the FO.
During his stay in New York, Dar is also expected to have several bilateral engagements with his counterparts, as well as senior UN officials.
“Dar’s visit to New York and Washington exemplifies Pakistan’s growing role and importance in the multilateral arena as well as its expanding multifaceted relations with the US,” the FO highlighted.
On Friday, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and United States Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer as part of another round of trade negotiations to avoid a 29 per cent tariff.
US-Pakistan relations saw a major boost when Trump hosted Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last month in an unprecedented meeting.
Earlier in the week, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, once again called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Speaking at the UNSC’s Briefing on the Humanitarian Situation in Gaza, he called on the international community to act without delay.
Earlier this month, Pakistan had urged the UNSC not to remain “a bystander” amid the deepening humanitarian crisis in conflict-battered Gaza, where Israeli military operations continue to claim civilian lives and take a devastating toll on infrastructure.