{"id":2230,"date":"2026-10-07T00:03:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T19:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=2230"},"modified":"2026-10-07T00:03:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T19:03:59","slug":"pakistan-confers-nishan-e-imtiaz-on-guterres-for-un-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=2230","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Guterres for UN leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday conferred Nishan-e-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan\u2019s highest civil awards, on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in recognition of his international service, leadership of the United Nations and contribution to global peace and development.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The award was the first conferred by Pakistan on a UN secretary-general and was presented at a special investiture ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, members of the federal cabinet, parliament and the diplomatic corps.<\/p>\n

During a meeting with Guterres, Zardari praised his leadership of the United Nations and efforts for international peace, dialogue, diplomacy and the peaceful settlement of disputes, as well as his engagement with Pakistan and attention to the concerns of developing countries, the President Secretariat Media Wing said in a press release.<\/p>\n

Zardari said Pakistan remained steadfast in its support for the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, and praised Guterres for his advocacy of Palestinian statehood and a two-state solution.<\/p>\n

Pakistan would continue supporting efforts to implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions, he said.<\/p>\n

On South Asia, Zardari reiterated Pakistan\u2019s commitment to peace and stability, saying durable peace required sustained dialogue between Pakistan and India as equal neighbours and resolution of outstanding disputes, particularly Jammu and Kashmir, in line with UN resolutions and respecting the sentiments of the Kashmiri people.<\/p>\n

Zardari also said the Indus Waters Treaty was a binding international agreement and could not be unilaterally suspended or placed in abeyance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWater should not be used as a weapon and an instrument of political pressure,\u201d he said, adding that Pakistan\u2019s water rights under the treaty must be respected.<\/p>\n

Discussing regional peace and diplomacy, Zardari said Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic efforts, including the Islamabad Talks, had been guided by de-escalation, dialogue and protection of human life.<\/p>\n

He reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s readiness to facilitate diplomacy where it could be helpful, saying there was no alternative to dialogue in addressing regional disputes.<\/p>\n

On counter-terrorism and Afghanistan, Zardari said Pakistan remained a committed partner in the global fight against terrorism and had made enormous sacrifices in the cause.<\/p>\n

He said Pakistan continued to face terrorism from groups operating from Afghan territory and had shared evidence concerning external support to terrorist proxies targeting Pakistan.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfghan territory must not be used against Pakistan or any other country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s commitment to dialogue and regional cooperation while safeguarding its people and territory in accordance with international law.<\/p>\n

The president highlighted Pakistan\u2019s contribution to UN peacekeeping, saying more than 270,000 Pakistani peacekeepers had served in 48 UN missions around the world.<\/p>\n

He reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s commitment to UN peacekeeping as a vital instrument for maintaining international peace and security.<\/p>\n

Zardari also appreciated Guterres\u2019s leadership of the UN80 Initiative and supported efforts to make the United Nations more efficient, coherent and effective.<\/p>\n

He said reform must safeguard the interests of developing countries, accelerate sustainable development and strengthen conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.<\/p>\n

He expressed hope that the next secretary-general would carry forward the reform process while preserving the UN\u2019s central role in peace, development and international cooperation.<\/p>\n

On climate change, Zardari said climate change posed an existential challenge for highly vulnerable developing countries such as Pakistan and called for stronger international action on mitigation, adaptation and climate finance.<\/p>\n

Pakistan supported democratisation of the UN Security Council and opposed the induction or expansion of unelected membership in the council, he said, adding that it supported greater representation through elected, non-permanent members with equitable geographical representation.<\/p>\n

Guterres was accompanied by Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo and Resident Coordinator a.i. Pernille Ironside.<\/p>\n

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Senator Sherry Rehman, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and former Federal Minister Naveed Qamar were also present.<\/p>\n

Zardari appreciated Guterres\u2019s personal solidarity following Pakistan\u2019s devastating 2022 floods, including his visit to affected areas and efforts to mobilise international assistance and facilitate the Geneva pledging process.<\/p>\n

The president said post-flood reconstruction had included the construction of 2.1 million climate-resilient homes, with ownership vested in women members of beneficiary households, describing the initiative as a model linking climate resilience, reconstruction and women\u2019s economic empowerment.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Guterres thanked Pakistan for the award and recalled the country\u2019s hospitality, solidarity and resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough the years, I have seen the hospitality of the Pakistani people as you provided refuge to millions. I have seen your solidarity and resilience as you confront the brutality of terrorism,\u201d Guterres said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the real Pakistan because I have seen the real Pakistan. And so, as I thank you for the award you bestow on the United Nations and me. I want to also thank you for what you have given to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday conferred Nishan-e-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan\u2019s highest civil awards, on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in recognition of his international service, leadership of the United Nations and contribution to global peace and development. The award was the first conferred by Pakistan on a UN secretary-general and was presented at a special investiture ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, members of the federal cabinet, parliament and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}