City
Epaper

UN chief on first official visit to Pakistan

By IANS | Updated: February 16, 2020 11:30 IST

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived here on Sunday on his first official visit to Pakistan to attend an international conference on Afghan refugees. He will also be visiting the holy Sikh shrine in Kartarpur.

Open in App

Islamabad, Feb 16 UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived here on Sunday on his first official visit to Pakistan to attend an international conference on Afghan refugees. He will also be visiting the holy Sikh shrine in Kartarpur.

During his visit, the UN chief will speak at the international conference '40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees in Pakistan', reported Dawn news.

The two-day conference in Islamabad, starting on February 17, will be a recognition of Pakistan's "tremendous generosity" in hosting millions of refugees from Afghanistan over four decades, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said during a regular noon briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York on Friday.

The conference, which is being organised by the Pakistan Government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Various senior US officials will also attend the conference.

Guterres is expected to meet with Imran Khan and other high-level government officials, his spokesman said.

Dujarric said the UN chief will also meet Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and speak at an event on sustainable development and climate change. The UN Secretary General will meet Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Monday.

On Tuesday, he will visit Lahore where he will meet students and attend an event on Pakistan's polio vaccination campaign.

He will also travel to Kartarpur to visit the Sikh holy site of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

Responding to a question, the spokesman said the UN chief will not be visiting the disputed Kashmir region during this trip.

He is set to return to New York on Wednesday.

( With inputs from IANS )

Open in App

Related Stories

MumbaiNavy Nagar Security Breach: Intruder Steals INSAS Rifle and Magazines After Tricking On-Duty Junior Sailor in Mumbai's Colaba

InternationalSouth Korea: DP leader says martial law probe not 'political retribution'

InternationalEAM Jaishankar urges BRICS to stabilise global economy, push reforms

BusinessFreight wagon market in India set to double by 2031 driven by exports, tech upgrades: Report

NationalDelhi Building Collapse: Several Injured After Four-Storey Building Collapses in Punjabi Basti

International Realted Stories

InternationalNepal Gen-Z protest: PM Oli orders probe, denies social media shutdown policy

InternationalLondon's Heathrow Airport terminal reopened after evacuation

InternationalUN Charter remains vital to maintaining global peace, security, says UNGA president

InternationalUS national charged after 20 kg of cocaine found in luggage at Sydney Airport

International'Like vampires sucking our blood dry with unfair trade practices...": Navarro kicks up a fuss on BRICS countries