Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Washington, DC on Thursday night, on the second leg of his eight-day visit to the United States, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Dar arrived in New York on Monday to attend “high-level signature events” of Pakistan’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency, including a conference on Palestine.
Upon arrival in the US capital, the foreign minister was received by Ambassador of Pakistan to the US, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh and senior embassy officials, the Foreign Office said on X.
Dar is scheduled to meet his counterpart, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for a bilateral meeting at the Department of State on Friday, the FO said.
“The meeting will discuss important facets of Pak-US relations, exploring ways and means to strengthen bilateral ties, with a particular focus on promoting trade, investment and economic cooperation,” FO said.
He is also scheduled to speak at the US think tank, The Atlantic Council, “sharing Pakistan’s perspective on regional and global issues as well as the future of Pak-US relations.”
Dar’s visit comes as Pakistan holds the presidency of the UNSC this month. Pakistan assumed the UNSC presidency for July, marking its first presidency since 2013. Islamabad began its current two-year term as a non-permanent member in January 2025 and will serve through the end of 2026.
Addressing a reception hosted by Pakistan’s Mission in New York on Wednesday, Dar called for an inclusive dialogue and cooperative diplomacy over confrontation amid growing turbulence across the world.
The deputy PM asserted that Pakistan’s leadership has been guided by “these very principles in both deliberations and concrete actions taken during its tenure”.
The UNSC unanimously adopted Pakistan-sponsored Resolution 2788, calling for the strengthening of international mechanisms to settle disputes through peaceful means.
Dar also announced Pakistan was seeking a seat at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2026-2028 term, with the Asia-Pacific Group endorsing its candidacy. Pakistan last held the membership from 2020 to 2023.
Gaza ceasefire
Chairing the UNSC’s Quarterly Open Debate on the “Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question”, Dar urged the UNSC and the international community to bring about an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, along with unrestricted humanitarian access amid a food crisis in the besieged territory.
“It is time to give the Palestinian people what they have been denied for too long: justice, freedom, dignity, and a state of their own. That is the path to durable peace and stability in the Middle East,” FM Dar said.
He emphasised that the path to lasting peace lay in upholding international law, ending foreign occupation, rejecting the use of force and advancing solutions through dialogue and diplomacy.
