Officials announced that marriage halls, restaurants, and cafes in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will close for five days, from October 12 to 16. This measure is part of the security preparations for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on October 15-16.
The SCO summit will be held in Islamabad. Nine full members, including China, India, Iran, and Russia, are expected to attend. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to arrive before the summit begins. In response, police notified traders and hotel owners about penalties for security violations during this period.
Read: Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang’s Upcoming Visit to Pakistan Amid Security Concerns
The government has declared a public holiday in the twin cities from October 14 to 16 to facilitate the smooth execution of the summit events. Pakistan, which joined the SCO in June 2017 after being an observer since 2005, values its recent but significant ties with SCO member states.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the current chair of the Council of Heads of Government, the SCO’s second-highest decision-making body, will lead the discussions at the CHG Meeting.
The Foreign Office confirmed that India’s Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar, will attend the summit to represent India instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, no bilateral meetings are planned during his visit.
Read: S Jaishankar to Attend SCO Meeting in Pakistan, First in a Decade
