SCO Summit in Islamabad: Army deployed in Islamabad before Jaishankar’s arrival, schools and colleges closed till October 16 and weddings also banned.

Pakistan is set to host the high-level 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad on October 15 and 16 amid tight security measures. Dawn quoted sources as saying that a four-member delegation from India, 76 representatives from Russia and 15 representatives from China have already reached the Pakistani capital. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is going to Pakistan to attend the SCO summit. Where Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation and raise India’s concerns related to cross-border terrorism. The Indian External Affairs Minister has already made it clear that there will be no discussion on India-Pakistan relations and his visit is expected to be brief.

Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan is the first by an Indian foreign minister in nine years since his predecessor Sushma Swaraj in 2015. The Pakistan government has deployed more than 10,000 police and paramilitary forces to protect the approximately 900 SCO delegates visiting Islamabad. It has also deployed army troops under Article 245 of the Constitution to strengthen security measures in Islamabad from October 5 to 17. The federal government has also announced a three-day holiday in the capital from October 14 to ensure the safety of the delegates. Participating in the summit.

According to a statement by the Pakistan Foreign Office, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will address the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in the presence of Jaishankar, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mushustin and Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhbar. The CHG meeting will assess the performance of the organization and talk about current cooperation in the areas of commerce, economy, environment and socio-cultural relations. According to local media reports, since the meetings are to be held in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the government of Pakistan’s Punjab province has imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi till October 17 to maintain law and order during the SCO summit. These are aimed at prohibiting all types of political gatherings, meetings, dharnas, rallies, demonstrations and similar activities to ensure the smooth conduct of the high-level summit. Additionally, Pakistan International Airlines announced that its offices in Islamabad will remain closed from 14–16 October as part of security measures. Earlier, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had announced a three-day strike from October 14 to 16 in connection with the summit.