Nine member countries will take part in the meeting including India, China, Iran and Russia The organisation was established in 2001 by China and Russia to discuss security concerns in Central Asia and the wider region.
The Shahbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government has put the country’s capital Islamabad under a strict security lockdown as Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives for a four-day visit. During the visit he will preside over a regional summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Interestingly, Li’s visit is the first by a Chinese premier to Pakistan in 11 years.
The crucial SCO meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Nine member countries will take part in the meeting including India, China, Iran and Russia The organisation was established in 2001 by China and Russia to discuss security concerns in Central Asia and the wider region.
The SCO participants will be represented by the prime ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the vice president of Iran and the external affairs minister of India, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Ahead of the meeting, the Pakistan government tightened the security. The authorities announced a public holiday in Islamabad for three days, starting on Monday, with schools and businesses shut and large contingents of police and paramilitary forces deployed across the city.
Pakistan Government on High Alert:
- Around 10,000 soldiers and commandos from the Pakistan Army have been deployed in Islamabad and Rawalpindi
- According to the reports, the local police and other security forces will now take orders directly from the military.
- From October 12 to 16, wedding halls, cafes, restaurants, and snooker clubs were ordered to close in both cities.
- The government has issued a strain warning. The traders and hotel owners have been warned of legal consequences if they do not comply.
- Business owners will have to fill bail bonds ensuring that no outsiders are staying in their establishments.
- Public holidays have been declared in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on October 14 and 16.
It is important to note that despite these measures, Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party plans to hold protests, raising concerns of potential clashes between demonstrators and the military.
What is SCO Summit?
The 23rd meeting of the heads of government of the SCO member states is set to take place in Islamabad on 15 and 16 October. As foreign delegations started arriving on Sunday, a 76-member Russian delegation and seven representatives of the SCO reached the country.