Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend Pakistan Day military parade as a chief guest on March 23, it is learnt. Sources privy to the development told Business Recorder that the Chinese President is likely to embark on a two-day official visit to Pakistan on March 22 and 23 and is expected to sign various agreements, including those related to defence co-operation.
On March 22, the sources said the Chinese President would address a joint sitting of the Parliament which would be followed by high level talks with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, President Mamnoon Hussain and the Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif. On March 23, which is being marked as Pakistan Day, the Chinese President would attend a joint military parade of the armed forces as chief guest. The military parade is taking place after an interval of seven years; the venue for the parade is yet to be finalised.
Currently, according to sources, there are two venues under consideration - joint staff headquarters, Rawalpindi and the under-construction site for the parade ground between Shakarparian and Faizabad. The last military parade took place on March 23, 2008 during the tenure of the then President, General Pervez Musharraf (Retd).
According to diplomatic sources, the foreign offices of both Pakistan and China are working out details of the Chinese President's visit, which was postponed in September last year amid anti-government demonstrations by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Constitution Avenue in the Federal Capital.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam did not confirm the visit of the Chinese President on March 22nd and 23rd. However, in her regular press briefing last week, she stated that the "visit is very much on the cards" and dates for which are being worked out.
The decision to resume the practice of a military parade may be in response to regional developments with Pakistan expressing concern over the recent understanding between India and the US on civil nuclear deal as well as Washington's support to New Delhi's bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
"The strategic convergence between Pakistan and China is aimed at countering the pressure built up by the US-India partnership in the region, including Afghanistan," said Lieutenant General Talat Masood, a senior security and defence analyst. He said that both Pakistan and China have given a clear message to United States that the two will resist any move aimed at isolating two important regional players.
"The two countries, in their reactions to US President's visit to India, have given a clear message that they will together resist any move to isolate them...it is not possible for the US to ignore Pakistan's importance in establishing peace in Afghanistan," he added.