UN chief arrives in Pakistan to ‘express gratitude to people serving peace’

Antonio Guterres calls Pakistan 'one of the most consistent and reliable contributors to UN peacekeeping missions'

“Pakistan is one of the most consistent and reliable contributors to UN peacekeeping efforts around the world,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who arrived in Islamabad in the wee hours of Sunday.

“I plan to express my gratitude to the people serving for peace,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle on the eve of his maiden visit to Pakistan.

Apart from other engagements during his four-day visit, the UN secretary general will be delivering his key note address at an international conference on Afghan refugees in Islamabad.

At the New Islamabad International Airport, Guterres was received by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Munir Akram and Farrukh Iqbal, Director General United Nations at Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

Pakistan, in collaboration with the UNHCR, is organising the international conference on February 17 and 18 to mark the 40-year-long stay of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in the country.

“The UN secretary general’s participation in the international conference is a recognition of Pakistan’s exemplary compassion, generosity and resolve in hosting Afghan refugees for the past four decades and our efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said in a statement last week.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

In other engagements, the UN chief will also call on President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan, besides holding meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

“Our leadership will share Pakistan’s perspective on all aspects of Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” Farooqui said.

“He will also hold interactions with parliamentarians, media and the youth. He will deliver special talks on themes of sustainable development, climate change and peacekeeping,” she added.

The UN secretary general will also pay a visit to Lahore and Gurdwara Kartarpur Saheb in Narowal district.

The visit will be an opportunity to acknowledge Pakistan’s contribution to the UN efforts in promotion and maintenance of international peace and security, especially through our valiant soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers, Farooqui said.

“Pakistan is an ardent supporter of the United Nations and has contributed significantly to the realisation of the United Nations’ objectives of peace and security and sustainable development in the world.”