An army vehicle moves past a welcoming billboard with portraits of China’s Premier Li Qiang, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, displayed along a road leading to the venue of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad.
| Photo Credit: AP
Elaborate security measures are in place as Pakistan on Monday (October 14, 2024)was gearing up to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit starting on Tuesday (October 15, 2) in Islamabad.
Foreign delegations have started to reach Pakistan to attend the mega international event being held under the shadow of increased terror attacks across the country and the continued protests by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party threatening to disrupt the law and order situation.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Prime Ministers of China and Russia among others are attending the two-day 23rd SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here to discuss the ongoing cooperation in economy, trade and environment.
A traffic police officer stands next to a logo of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), displaying at a road leading to the venue of the upcoming SCO summit in Islamabad.
| Photo Credit:
AP
The CHG meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, environment, socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organisation.
The leaders will adopt important organisational decisions to further enhance cooperation among SCO member States and approve the budget of the Organisation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his capacity as the current Chair of the CHG, will preside over the upcoming CHG meeting.
According to the Foreign Office, the SCO member States will be represented by the Prime Ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the First Vice President of Iran apart from Jaishankar.
Prime Minister of Mongolia (Observer State) and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Ministers of Turkmenistan (Special Guest) will also participate in the meeting.
A 76-member Russian delegation, 15-member delegation from China, four-member official delegation from India, four-member delegation from Kyrgyzstan and a two-member delegation from Iran have already reached Islamabad.
Seven representatives of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation have also reached Pakistan.
A man takes photo with a floral artwork ‘Peacock’ display close to the venue of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Meanwhile, police, paramilitary rangers and army troops have been deployed to keep peace.
The authorities have banned all kinds of political gatherings and protests on this occasion, however, tension prevailed due to the threat of protest by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which announced to hold a demonstration at the D-Chowk if party leaders and others were not allowed to meet Khan.
Authorities warned to deal with the protesters with an iron hand but behind the scene efforts were being made to persuade the party to call off its protest.
Sources said that the government may allow PTI chairman Gohar Khan and a team of lawyers to meet Khan to meet its demand for cancelling the protest.
Chinese premier arrives in Pakistan
Chinese prime minister Li Qiang on Monday (October4, 2024) arrived for a four-day visit during which he will attend the SCO summit and hold bilateral meetings with Pakistan leaders on several issues, including the strategic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
This is the first visit by any Chinese premier to Pakistan in 11 years and comes on the back of recent attacks on Chinese nationals working on infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received Li along with cabinet ministers at the Nur Khan airbase at Rawalpindi near here.
Li and other foreign leaders will attend the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Earlier there were speculations about Li’s participation in the wake of the killing of two Chinese workers in a suicide attack in Karachi and the ongoing agitation by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for the release of its jailed leader and former premier Imran Khan.
State-run the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported ahead of Li’s visit that he would be meeting Pakistan’s civil and military leadership and attend the SCO summit during his October 14 to 17 visit.
Sharif and Li will lead their respective delegations to comprehensively discuss all aspects of Pakistan-China relations, including economic and trade ties and cooperation under the USD 60 billion CPEC. The two sides will also discuss regional and global developments.
Premier Li will also call on President Asif Ali Zardari and hold meetings with parliamentary leaders.
Li is accompanied by ministers and senior officials, including from the ministries of foreign affairs and commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office termed the Chinese leader’s visit as “an expression of the importance attached by Pakistan and China to their ‘All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership’.” Earlier last week, Sharif assured the Chinese of personally overseeing the investigation into the Karachi attack, for which the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility.
Published – October 14, 2024 02:49 pm IST