ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar met Olara Otunnu, who is a candidate for the position of secretary-general at the United Nations this week, the foreign office said, stressing the importance of implementing the Security Council’s resolutions on Palestine and Kashmir.

The UN Security Council has passed several resolutions on Palestine, including one in November 2025 mandating a transitional administration and an International Stabilization Force in Gaza.

The Security Council’s resolutions on Kashmir, an internationally disputed region between India and Pakistan, call for the Kashmiri people to determine their future through a plebiscite. However, India maintains that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and that the issue is a bilateral matter with Pakistan. Islamabad disagrees.

Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, met Otunna on Friday with Ruhakana Rugunda, a special envoy of the Uganda president to discuss the evolving global landscape and challenges facing the multilateral system.

“He reiterated the importance of respect for international law and implementation of UNSC resolutions, particularly on Palestine and Jammu & Kashmir,” the Pakistani foreign office said.

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Dar hoped the next UN secretary-general would play an effective role in strengthening the world body’s capacity to address contemporary global challenges.

Otunnu is Uganda’s nominee for the post of secretary-general of the UN. The current UN chief António Guterres’s term ends Dec. 31, 2026, so the next one is expected to begin work on Jan.1, 2027.

Otunnu appreciated Pakistan’s longstanding contribution to international peace & security, including as part of UN peacekeeping operations, the foreign office said.

He also commended Pakistani leadership’s diplomatic efforts for regional peace & stability, the foreign office said, in light of the ongoing United States (US) and Iran’s conflict.