Preparations are all-gog in Islamabad as foreign dignitaries start arriving for the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is scheduled to be held on October 15 and 16. The Pakistan-hosted summit will bring the regional members into discussion to enhance cooperation and security in the region.
Official sources said delegations in the ranks of senior officials from various member countries are starting to land in Islamabad. Their list includes a four-member Indian delegation and 76 delegates from Russia, including 15 from China. The Iranian team consisted of only two members, followed by a team from Kyrgyzstan consisting of four delegates. But as an addendum, a seven-member band of delegates from SCO landed here on Sunday.
At this point, security becomes of utmost concern to the government as the country prepares to host this great event. The Army has thus been deployed to all strategic government buildings and Red Zones. In other parts of the capital, Rangers have been stationed to ensure total law and order during the summit.
Further securing the event, more than 10,000 police have been stationed in Islamabad. This is the massive force that will ensure the safety of over 900 delegates attending the summit-heads of states, ministers, and other senior officials from member nations.
The government has already declared that metro bus services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi will remain suspended during the summit as a preventive measure. Marry halls along with other public platforms will also be closed so that events are carried out peacefully without any disturbance.
To prepare for the event as well as international visitors, the federal government declared three days of public holidays for government offices, educational institutions, and business centers within Islamabad. In doing so, it aimed at removing traffic congestion that may arise during the summit, free moving, and hassle-free transportation for all the participants attending the summit.
Reviewing arrangements for the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said Pakistan is well-geared to host the Council of Heads of Government at the SCO Summit. With this visit, Mr. Dar underlined the importance of the summit held for regional cooperation and expressed confidence that the nation would successfully execute the event.
Mr. Dar revealed that apart from India, several other countries had sought bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO summit, but he claims all have been met. He also said this proved that dialogue and cooperation among member countries were important.
While announcing his statements, Mr Dar urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to take back its October 15 protest and called it a matter of national interest. He claimed that if the same scenario of protest is repeated as it was in 2014, then the same situation may occur again, and the country will suffer just like on the day when the visit of the Chinese president got postponed earlier.
The Deputy PM pointed out that the PTI had lately disengaged itself from multilateral discussions on pressing national issues, including the issue in Gaza, and asked what the party stood to achieve by it. He asserted that national progress should also rank top in the leadership of the PTI rather than politicking over unity.
On the question of the Afghan side’s participation in the meeting, Mr Dar clarified that Afghanistan’s Observer Status in SCO had been suspended from 2021 as Pakistan cannot unilaterally decide on Afghanistan’s participation since all decisions regarding the participation of any state in the SCO require consensus amongst all SCO member states.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to regional integration and peace and said these objectives remain at the core of the country’s foreign policy. “Pakistan, under this leadership, is on the pursuit of becoming a hub for regional trade and investments,” he went on. “Recent high-profile visits from Malaysia and Saudi Arabia to Pakistan show that this country is expanding in terms of its engagement with its diplomatic counterparts.
Hosting the 23rd SCO Summit, Islamabad will be in the limelight as the country’s diplomatic strength and the steps taken by it to enhance regional cooperation into the spotlight. Being a window of opportunity for the country to present its role in achieving stability and development in South Asia, SCO happens to be an extremely crucial one for the nation. Security will not be a problem because its measures are tight and preparation is all-rounded, but the international community is welcome in the capital city of Pakistan for a summit to drive cooperation and progress across the region.
Read About Security measures to Protect the SCO Summit
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