KARACHI, Pakistan
Pakistan's top diplomat Ishaq Dar arrived in New York to attend a series of events under his country's UN Security Council presidency and an international conference on Palestine, according to an official statement on Monday.
During his eight-day visit, Dar will lead "high-level signature events" under Pakistan’s UNSC presidency and hold bilateral and multilateral meetings in New York and Washington, DC, the Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.
He will also represent Pakistan at the International Conference on the two-state solution, co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France.
Dar is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, DC, on July 25, according to local daily Dawn. However, there has been no official confirmation of the meeting from Islamabad or Washington.
Pakistan is currently serving the country’s eighth term as a non-permanent Security Council 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 UN 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 meeting to discuss the two-state solution will now be held July 28-29.
Israel has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The military onslaught has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and the spread of diseases.
Dar will also chair a high-level briefing of the UNSC, focused on enhancing cooperation between the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Throughout his visit, Dar will hold multiple bilateral engagements with his counterparts and senior UN officials in both New York and Washington.
Relations between the Pakistani government and the Trump administration have strengthened in recent months, following the latter's active intervention to broker a ceasefire between longtime rivals India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May.
Last month, Trump also hosted Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, at the White House, in an unprecedented diplomatic development.