Gaza high on agenda in Dar's UN visit next week

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to the United States next week to participate in high-level events marking Pakistan's presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in New York, the Foreign Office said has confirmed.

Dar will chair multiple signature events at the UN headquarters, including a high-level open debate on "Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes." The session aims to reinforce multilateral diplomacy and mediation as key tools for resolving global conflicts.

He will also preside over the UNSC's quarterly open debate on the "Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question," underscoring Pakistan's continued focus on long-standing international disputes, the FO added.

In addition, Dar is scheduled to chair a special UNSC briefing on strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), part of Pakistan's broader diplomatic push to link multilateral institutions in pursuit of peace.

To reaffirm Pakistan's solidarity with Palestine, the deputy prime minister will attend a high-level conference on the "Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution." The event is expected to spotlight Islamabad's call for an end to occupation and a just resolution to the decades-old conflict.

During his stay in New York, Dar is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings with fellow foreign ministers and senior UN officials. He will later travel to Washington for additional engagements, though specific details of the visit have not yet been announced.