ISLAMABAD - The Secretary General of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Zhang Ming is arriving in Islamabad on July 21 on a three-day official visit to Pakistan.

Diplomatic sources told The Nation that it would be the first-ever visit by SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming to Pakistan.

He is visiting Pakistan ahead of the SCO Foreign Ministers Conference taking place on July 28-29 in Tashkent.

During his visit Zhang Ming would meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Islamabad. He would also deliver a lecture at Islamabad Institute of Strategic Studies on July 22.

Zhang Ming who is a seasoned Chinese diplomat was elected to a three-year term in January this year and assumed his responsibilities on January 1 2022.

SCO FM Conference

Meanwhile SCO Foreign Ministers Conference in Tashkent on July 28 would be represented by Pakistan as well.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would lead Pakistani delegation in the SCO FM moot.

He would also meet foreign ministers of the participating countries on the sidelines of the conference.

Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers may face each other on the sidelines of the conference.