Army on ground, Islamabad under lockdown: Pakistan ups security for high-profile SCO Summit

The 23rd meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) is set to begin on Wednesday in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, with stringent security measures in place.

A report by Dawn shows that security agencies have been deployed in Islamabad to ensure a smooth summit, which will be attended by high-ranking foreign officials. To safeguard the event, the Pakistan Army has been stationed at the summit site, key government buildings, and the Red Zone area. As a precautionary measure, Pakistani rangers have been stationed throughout the capital along with the temporary shutdown of numerous businesses to minimize security risks in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Key routes have also been closed.

The government has notably deployed over 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel to ensure the security of around 900 delegates expected to attend the event. The delegates will be accommodated in various locations within the capital's 'Red Zone' or nearby, with 14 sites arranged for their stay.

To ease the transportation for guests, a motorcade of 124 vehicles has been organized, which will be split into two groups. 84 vehicles will accompany the heads of state, while 40 vehicles will serve the other delegates.

The participants are scheduled to arrive at the Jinnah Convention Centre on Wednesday morning, where they will be received by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif . PM Shehbaz will give his opening remarks, which will be followed by statements from other member states. A notable agenda of the day is "documents signing" before the PM offers the concluding remarks.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming will be addressing the media on Wednesday, following which, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will host "official luncheons" for the guests.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the meeting would focus on the trade and economic agenda of the organization.

The MEA stated, "The 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) will be held on 16 October 2024 in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Pakistan. The SCO CHG meeting is held annually and focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the organization.”

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who will be leading the Indian delegation at the 23rd Meeting of the SCO, landed in Islamabad on Tuesday.

"India remains actively engaged in the SCO format, including various mechanisms and initiatives within the SCO framework," the MEA release said.

The External Affairs Minister previously stated that he would not be traveling to Islamabad to discuss "India-Pakistan relations," emphasizing that his visit is solely for the multilateral SCO Summit 2024. Jaishankar also highlighted that he is going to Pakistan to fulfill his role as a "good member of the SCO."

The Prime Minister of China Li Qiang, Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Akylbek Zhaparov, Prime Minister of Tajikistan Akylbek Zhaparov, and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov, as well as the first Vice President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber be others representing the SCO member states during the summit, according to ARY News.

Foreign Ministers and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Turkmenistan will be attending the summit as special guests, whereas Prime Minister of Mongolia Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai will participate as an observer state.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization or the SCO Summit is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, China. The main goals of the summit include strengthening mutual trust between the Member States, encouraging cooperation in areas like trade, economy, science and technology, and jointly ensuring and maintaining peace, security and stability in the region.

Member countries of SCO include countries such as India, Iran, China, Pakistan and Russia. It has various other significant dialogue partners such as Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Maldives, Myanmar, UAE and Sri Lanka.