Foreign leaders arrive in Pakistan for regional summit

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Several foreign leaders from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for a two-day regional summit.

Kyrgyzstan Prime Minister Akylbek Zhaparov, Belarus Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko and Tajikistan Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda arrived in capital Islamabad.

Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and India's top diplomat S. Jaishankar also reached Islamabad.

The prime ministers from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, as well as Iranian vice president and Turkmenistan’s deputy chairman of the cabinet of ministers and foreign minister are also attending the summit.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Islamabad on Monday.

In the evening, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who will chair the summit, will host a banquet for visiting leaders at the prime minister's house in Islamabad.

The SCO council of the heads of government meeting will be held on Wednesday. It is expected to cover a range of issues, including economic and trade cooperation, environmental initiatives, and socio-cultural links among member states.

Leaders are expected to adopt key decisions aimed at enhancing collaboration within the organization and approving the SCO’s budget for the coming year, according to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

To ensure security for the summit, Pakistan has arranged extensive safety measures, with approximately 10,000 security personnel deployed across Islamabad and Rawalpindi.