@CMShehbaz
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Lee at the airport. The government has declared a three-day public holiday in Islamabad, schools and businesses are closed and large contingents of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed.
The Pakistani capital was under tight security cover as Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang arrived in the city on Monday ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization heads of government meeting this week. The Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office said Li’s visit is the first by a Chinese prime minister to Pakistan in 11 years. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Lee at the airport. The government has declared a three-day public holiday in Islamabad, schools and businesses are closed and large contingents of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed.
According to the Interior Ministry, Pakistani Army troops will be responsible for the security of the capital’s Red Zone, home to Parliament and a diplomatic enclave and where most of the meetings will take place. Serious questions have started being raised about security after the murder of two Chinese engineers and the shooting death of 21 miners in Pakistan last week ahead of the SCO summit. Another attack in northwestern Pakistan in March killed five Chinese engineers.
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar on Monday said security for Chinese nationals had been stepped up and Sharif paid deep, profound, personal attention to their security. He said that I believe that the visit of the Chinese Prime Minister will be a historic visit. He described it as ‘an important turning point in our relations’. He said there is a high-level investigation into the recent attacks on Chinese civilians and said I think our Chinese friends are also somewhat satisfied with our keen interest and special attention to security.
