Pak Army troops deployed in beautifully decorated capital. Access to Red Zone will be restricted. Activities at wedding halls, hotels, restaurants along key routes will remain suspended. Dar urges PTI to take back its call for protest on October 15. Says India has not requested for holding any bilateral meeting. Chinese Premier arrives in Pakistan today.
ISLAMABAD - The federal capital has been beautifully decorated and Pakistan Army troops are deployed ahead of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit 2024 being held on Tuesday and Wednesday (October 15-16) in Islamabad. Authorities on Sunday were preparing to shut down the capital as part of security strategy. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be among senior regional government officials attending the two-day conference.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration Sunday clarified plans to manage business activities and traffic during the SCO conference. According to a spokesman for the ICT, key routes would be blocked for general traffic but disruptions would be limited to essential areas.
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Nawaz Memon has clarified that no blanket ban on business activities would be imposed across the federal capital. “Only those business centers located directly on the route will be required to close during the conference,” he said. Other businesses would remain open and operate as usual.
He said that hiking trails in Islamabad would be closed for the duration of the SCO conference, citing security concerns. Traffic flow would be limited on the routes designated for SCO delegations to ensure safe passage for officials attending the event. Access to Islamabad’s Red Zone would be restricted, with strict measures in place to prevent unauthorised entry. The district administration also noted that activities at wedding halls, hotels, restaurants, and similar venues located along the route would be temporarily suspended.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Sunday said that Pakistan was ready to host Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting on October 15-16 in Islamabad in which different significant issues would be discussed under the SCO framework.
‘Bilateral meetings’
Talking to reporters after his visit to review arrangements for the upcoming CHG-SCO meeting, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister said that certain countries had requested for bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the CHG-SCO which were finalised. Replying to a query, he said that India had not requested for such bilateral meeting and only the matters related to SCO framework would be discussed by the SCO member states at the multilateral forum.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar also accompanied the deputy prime minister and foreign minister during a walk with the media persons to provide them first-hand information about the preparations of SCO summit. About invitation to Afghanistan, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister said that since 2021, the Observers Status of that country had been virtually suspended as Afghanistan had neither been invited to nor participated in SCO meetings.
Therefore, he said, Pakistan could not take decision alone in this regard as the decisions were taken on the SCO forum by the member states.
Dar, to another question, said Pakistan would fully meet the responsibility to host the summit. About the North-South and South-South connectivity, he said the discussions with the relevant countries were in progress and continuing on the bilateral and multilateral levels.
But within the SCO framework and protocol, certain matters would be discussed under specific scope of discussions and within its contours, he further clarified.
Dar advised those quarters who had been claiming that Pakistan was in diplomatic isolation to reassess their projections as Pakistan had become a hub of regional trade and investment and referred to the recent visits of Malaysian premier and the Saudi delegation.
To a query, the deputy prime minister urged a specific political party without naming (PTI) it to take back its call for protest on October 15 in the larger national interests.
He said for the sake of politics, it was not good for the same political party that had been repeating the same scenario of 2014. Due to their protest, Chinese president’s visit had been postponed.
During all parties conference on Gaza, the same political party did not attend it, he said, adding what message, they wanted to give?
‘Game changer for CPEC’
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said that Pakistan has made significant progress this year in both foreign policy and economic sectors, adopting an open approach towards trade and investment.
Speaking with foreign media correspondents in Islamabad, he said Pakistan is emerging on the international stage, and the world is beginning to recognise its true potential.
The Information Minister highlighted the recent successful visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to Pakistan, during which key discussions on bilateral relations, investment, and cooperation took place.
He said a high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia, led by the Saudi Minister of Investment visited Pakistan and signed several Memoranda of Understanding valued at 2.2 billion dollars to enhance bilateral cooperation. The minister said that upcoming visit of the Chinese Premier will be a game changer for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, further enhancing cooperation across various sectors.
The minister expressed confidence that the SCO summit will serve as a pivotal moment for Pakistan, enhancing its positive image on the global stage.
Pakistan is all set to host two-day meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Islamabad from Tuesday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will preside over the meeting. The SCO member states will be represented by Prime Minister of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the First Vice President of Iran and External Affairs Minister of India. Premier of the State Council of China Li Qiang will represent his country.
The prime minister of Mongolia as Observer State, and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan as Special Guest, will also participate in the meeting.
The SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in fields of economy, trade, environment and socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organization.
The Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also hold important bilateral meetings with visiting heads of delegations on the sidelines of the meeting.
Established on June 15, 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a permanent intergovernmental international organization aimed at strengthening multisphere cooperation, promoting peace and security, and new economic international order.
At the invitation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Premier of the State Council of China, Li Qiang, will undertake a bilateral visit to Pakistan starting tomorrow (Monday).
Premier Li will be accompanied by ministers and senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the China International Development Cooperation Agency.
During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Premier Li Qiang will lead their respective delegations in comprehensive discussions on all aspects of Pakistan-China relations, including economic and trade ties and cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The two sides will also address regional and global developments.
Additionally, the Chinese Premier will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari, as well as hold discussions with parliamentary leaders and senior military officials of Pakistan.
The Chinese Premier is also scheduled to attend the Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, being held in Islamabad.
Premier Li’s visit to Islamabad underscores the significance that Pakistan and China place on their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.
This visit will provide an opportunity to both the sides to reaffirm their mutual support on core issues, advance the high-quality development of CPEC, and strengthen regular exchanges on important regional and global developments.