SCO summit 2024: PM Shehbaz hosts dinner for state dignitaries

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hosted on Tuesday a dinner in honour of the dignitaries from the member states on the first day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Before the dinner, PM Shehbaz welcomed and shook hands with the dignitaries, including India’s Foreign Minister Jaishankar.

Jaishankar arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday to participate in the two-day meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the SCO.

This is the first such visit in nearly a decade of any Indian official in Pakistan.

The Indian FM was received by Pakistani officials.

Earlier during the day, premiers of Belarus and Kyrgyzstan also arrived in Islamabad to take part in the summit.

Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik received Kyrgyz premier, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Japarov at the Nur Khan Airbase.

SCO summit: all eyes are now on Islamabad

Whereas, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar welcomed Belarus PM Roman Golovchenko at the Islamabad International Airport.

Prime Minister of Tajikistan Kohir Rasulzoda and Turkmenistan’s Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Rashid Meredov have also arrived in Islamabad, as per Radio Pakistan.

Chinese Premiere Li Qiang is already in Pakistan, while more prime ministers of other member and observer states, including Russian Premier Mikhail Mishustin, will also be participating in person.

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref will also attend the event.

The meeting of the SCO, a Eurasian security and political group formed in 2001 by Russia and China, is the highest profile event hosted by Pakistan in years.

While the main SCO meeting will take place on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to host a welcome dinner for delegates on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said that PM Shehbaz will also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines.

The SCO meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said. Observers believe the bloc seeks to counter Western influence in the region.

Pakistan’s government has announced a three-day public holiday in Islamabad, with schools and businesses shut and large contingents of police and paramilitary forces deployed.

Pakistani army troops will be responsible for the security of the capital’s Red Zone, the location of the parliament and a diplomatic enclave and where most of the SCO meetings will take place, according to the interior ministry.

Moreover, Ministry of Interior on Monday directed the district administration to make extraordinary security arrangements for the SCO summit and prevent protests in the city.

SCO sidelines: PM Shehbaz holds bilateral meetings with member states

According to a letter written by the Ministry of Interior to Chief Commissioner Islamabad, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the Ministry of Interior to ensure that no unlawful protests are held in Islamabad, especially during the SCO summit, to avert potential disruptions to peace and lockdown situation.

The letter says to implement robust security measures to maintain law and order in Islamabad during the SCO summit. In addition, the ICT administration shall disseminate the above information for the benefit of the general public at large, it says.