A day after the federal government approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army in Islamabad, the Punjab government also issued on Saturday orders for army troops to be deployed to maintain law and order situation during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
As per the notification, security will be ensured at airports, roads, venues, and surrounding areas, Aaj News reported. Security will also be provided to foreign delegates during the upcoming SCO summit.
Reinforcement ahead of SCO moot: Military units sent to Islamabad from KP
According to the notification, the army personnel will also have the authority to open fire in an emergency situation.
“Exact contours of deployment of armed forces will be determined by the military commander on the ground in consultation with police commander,” the notification read.
The SCO summit will be held in Islamabad from October 15 to 16.
According to the Foreign Office, being the Organisation’s second-highest decision-making body, hosting the SCO summit this year would not only reassert Pakistan’s pivotal position as an important regional country that firmly believes in peace, dialogue and diplomacy, but would also increase the country’s prestige and reputation for having hosted an event of this scale and representational level after a long time.
Last week, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved additional funds of Rs1 billion for hosting the SCO Summit.
On Wednesday, a detailed security plan for the event was approved during a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi.
The interior minister emphasised the importance of hosting the SCO summit and noted that several heads of state would be in attendance, marking a significant honour for the nation.
He said that additional personnel from the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Frontier Corps, and Punjab police would be deployed to ensure comprehensive security for the guests.
The decision comes at a time when PTI supporters marched towards the twin cities for a protest.