Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in US for key talks

WASHINGTON: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is expected to meet senior US officials in Washington early next week, as Pakistan continues efforts to facilitate US-Iran talks, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

Naqvi is currently in New York to represent Pakistan at the Fifth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit 2026 (UNCOPS), being held at the UN headquarters on July 7 and 8. The summit has brought together interior ministers, police chiefs and senior law enforcement officials from across the world to discuss peace, security and enhanced cooperation against transnational crime.

The key focus of this year’s summit is developing a new vision for United Nations policing to ensure that peace operations remain agile, effective and people-centred.

On the sidelines of the summit, Naqvi is scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General. He is also expected to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from several participating countries.

During his visit, diplomatic sources said, a meeting between Naqvi and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is also expected.

Several other Pakistani ministers and senior government officials, including Ahsan Iqbal, Tariq Fatemi, Rana Mashhood and Khurram Dastgir, are also visiting the US at the same time.

After completing his engagements in New York, Naqvi is expected to travel to Washington for meetings with senior US officials. Mr Fatemi may also accompany him during the Washington consultations, diplomatic sources added.

The meetings are being closely watched because of Naqvi’s continuing engagement, including his meetings in Saudi Arabia, in efforts to keep the US-Iran peace process on track since the start of the war.

Islamabad has emerged as the leading venue for the next round of technical negotiations between the United States and Iran.

The technical talks are expected to take place on July 11. They will be followed by the next round of high-level direct negotiations in Doha during the third week of July, after technical sides complete work on the agenda and remaining issues.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026 ...