Chinese Premier Li arrives in Islamabad as Pakistan set to host regional summit

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Islamabad on Monday for an official visit, as Pakistan prepares to host two-day summit of government leaders from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Tuesday amid tight security.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will preside over the summit in his capacity as current chair of SCO's council of heads of governments of member states, according to a statement released by the Pakistan Foreign Ministry.

As part of enhanced security measures, thousands of police officers and army troops have been deployed in and around the capital. The government has already announced a three-day public holiday in Islamabad from Oct. 14 to 16, with schools and businesses closed.

The SCO member states will be represented by prime ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as the first vice president of Iran and India’s foreign minister.

Mongolia's prime minister will attend the meeting as an observer, and Turkmenistan's foreign minister will be present as special guests.

The meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, the environment, and sociocultural linkages, as well as review the organization’s performance, the statement said.

The leaders will adopt important organizational decisions to further enhance cooperation among SCO member states and approve the organization’s budget.

Ahead of the summit, Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Islamabad on Monday for a four-day official visit to Pakistan.

This is the Chinese premier's first visit to Pakistan in 11 years.

Li will also lead China's delegation at the SCO summit.

Whereas, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s visit is the first of any New Delhi’s top diplomat since 2016, amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear rivals on a string of issues, mainly the lingering Kashmir dispute.

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar's visit is the first by a top diplomat from New Delhi since 2016, and it comes amid rising tensions between the two nuclear rivals over several issues, most notably the lingering Kashmir dispute.

The trip comes after Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the meeting of foreign ministers from the SCO in India last year.​​​​​​​

The trip comes after Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the SCO's foreign ministers meeting in India last year.

Established in June 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO is an intergovernmental organization with nine member states.

The organization’s key objectives are to strengthen relations among member states and promote cooperation in political affairs, economics, and trade, scientific-technical, cultural, and educational spheres, as well as in energy, transportation, tourism, and environmental protection, while also ensuring regional peace, security, and stability.

Its founding countries include China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, while Pakistan became a member of the SCO in June 2017 after previously getting an observer status.