Start of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Pakistan Under Tight Security Measures
Bayan News – The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit began on Tuesday evening (October 15) in Islamabad, hosted by Pakistan under tight security measures.
Li Qiang, the Chinese Prime Minister, and Shusma Swaraj, India’s Foreign Minister, arrived in Pakistan to participate in this summit for the first time in a decade. The Indian Foreign Minister last visited Pakistan in 2015.
Senior representatives from other regional countries, such as Russia and Mohammad Reza Aref, the First Vice President of Iran, are also attending the summit.
Last week, Islamabad witnessed widespread protests by supporters of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party, which led to clashes between police and demonstrators. The government called for military assistance to ensure the capital’s security.
Pakistan’s cabinet declared a three-day public holiday for the summit, and all universities and schools were closed.
The SCO is a political and economic alliance, and some political observers see it as a counterbalance to the West. Russia, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, India, and Pakistan are the organization’s main members. Iran was an observer for several years before officially joining last year.
Afghanistan has participated as an observer in SCO meetings since 2012, but for the third consecutive year since the Taliban’s return to power, no representative from the Taliban government has been invited to this regional summit.
