NEW YORK: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has arrived in New York to attend high-level signature events of Pakistan’s UN Security Council (UNSC) Presidency, including a conference on Palestine, according to the Foreign Office.
Pakistan assumed the UNSC Presidency for the month of July 2025, making it the country’s eighth term on the Security Council as a non-permanent member. Islamabad began its current two-year term as a non-permanent member in January 2025 and will serve through the end of 2026. The presidency involves a focus on multilateralism, peaceful dispute resolution, and regional cooperation.
“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar,
arrived in New York for an official visit from 21 to 28 July 2025,” the FO announced in a post on X.
“During the visit, he will lead high-level signature events under Pakistan’s Presidency of the UN Security Council, hold bilateral and multilateral meetings in New York and Washington, DC, and represent Pakistan at the International Conference on the two-state solution, co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France.”
It added that upon his arrival, FM Dar was received by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar, and the Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh.
According to a July 19 statement issued by the FO, Dar will attend a high-level conference on the “Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”, to express Pakistan’s strong commitment and unwavering support for the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.
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.
Since October 8, Israeli strikes have killed more than 58,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Pakistan has consistently raised its voice for the people of Palestine, calling for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Earlier this month, Pakistan urged the UNSC not to remain “a bystander” amid the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Aside from the Palestine conference, Dar is also set to chair a high-level briefing of the UNSC, focused on enhancing cooperation between the UN and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
“The meeting is being held as part of Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen collaboration between the OIC and the UN for maintenance of international peace and security,” the FO statement said.
Dar is expected to have several other bilateral engagements with his counterparts, as well as senior UN officials, during his stay. He will also meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on July 25.
