Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar briefed the media at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Friday on Pakistan’s engagements at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, whose high-level week ran in New York from September 21 to 25, 2026. In the Ishaq Dar UNGA briefing, he said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led Pakistan’s delegation through a packed week of multilateral and bilateral engagements — and announced that UN Secretary-General António Guterres had accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan before retiring in December.
FAKTA: Pakistan at the 81st UNGA session
- High-level week: September 21–25, 2026, New York
- Briefing: Friday, October 2, 2026 — Foreign Office, Islamabad
- Delegation led by: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
- Bilateral meetings: 28, according to Dar
- Agreements concluded: two memorandums on bilateral political consultations and one visa abolition agreement
- Security Council: Pakistani-sponsored resolution on multilateralism and peaceful dispute resolution adopted unanimously — a first in 12 years
- UN chief: António Guterres accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan before retiring in December
What the Ishaq Dar UNGA briefing revealed
Describing what he called a gruelling week, Dar said he personally attended 28 bilateral meetings during the high-level week of the 81st session. Pakistan also concluded two memorandums on bilateral political consultations with two countries, alongside a visa abolition agreement, he told reporters.
The deputy prime minister said he accompanied Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif through a series of high-level bilateral engagements, using the week to press Pakistan’s case for regional and international peace and stability and to exchange views on key regional and international challenges.
Guterres visit and a Security Council first
The headline announcement of the briefing was that UN Secretary-General António Guterres had accepted Pakistan’s invitation to visit the country before he retires in December. Dar said the invitation was extended during a delegation-level meeting with the UN chief, whom he described as “a very big supporter of Pakistan” whose role during natural calamities “can never be forgotten.” He said the programme of the visit would be released soon and that it was expected to be a memorable one.
Dar also pointed to a diplomatic milestone at the Security Council: a Pakistani-sponsored resolution on multilateralism and the peaceful settlement of disputes was unanimously adopted after 12 years — a signal, he said, of Pakistan’s active role in promoting multilateralism at the United Nations.
Palestine, Kashmir and Shehbaz’s address to the Assembly
Briefing the media on the prime minister’s participation, Dar said Shehbaz Sharif’s address to the General Assembly covered Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir, recent tensions with India, the Indus Waters Treaty, terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, and the situation in the Middle East. The prime minister also drew international attention to the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab and their implications for global energy supply chains — disruptions Pakistan had itself felt through higher fuel prices. Dar described the address as an effective presentation of Pakistan’s position, saying it drew applause several times in the Assembly hall.
On his own programme, Dar highlighted Pakistan’s engagement with the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir — where he reaffirmed support for the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination — the OIC foreign ministers’ annual coordination meeting, the meeting of the Group of Eight Arab-Islamic countries on Palestine, and the ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. He also delivered Pakistan’s statement at a UN Security Council high-level briefing on artificial intelligence, attended the high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and chaired the ECO Council of Ministers.
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Conclusion
The 81st UNGA session gave Pakistan a wide platform — and Dar’s briefing was designed to show it was used. Twenty-eight bilateral meetings, three signed agreements, a unanimous Security Council resolution after 12 years, and a promised visit by the UN Secretary-General amount to a week Islamabad will count as productive. Whether the momentum converts into concrete follow-through — on the Guterres visit, the Kashmir and Palestine diplomacy, and the economic ties Dar promised to pursue — is the test that now begins back in Islamabad.
