ISLAMABAD: The federal government notified the deployment of Pakistan Army personnel in Islamabad to ensure law and order in the federal capital during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, scheduled for October 15 and 16, 2024.
As per notification, a “requisite strength” of the Pakistan Army, in aid of civil power, will be deployed from October 5 to 17 to maintain law and order concerning the SCO summit and visits of VVIP delegations for the meeting.
“The exact area of deployment, along with additional troops if required, will be determined by the Islamabad administration in consultation with the concerned stakeholders,” the notification said.
Islamabad is all set to host the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting on October 15 and 16 with major foreign leaders, including Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visiting the country.
In this regard, the federal government had approved a comprehensive plan to ensure foolproof security during the forthcoming huddle.
During the recent meeting, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that additional personnel from the Pakistan Army, Rangers, Frontier Corps (FC), and Punjab police will be deployed for security duties at the SCO moot.
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In July this year, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch said that the summit would feature a ministerial huddle along with multiple meetings of senior officials to foster cooperation in finance, economics, socio-cultural affairs and humanitarian efforts among member states.
The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is a crucial multilateral platform, primarily for regional security and collaboration with Central Asian nations.
India’s Jaishankar will also travel to Pakistan to attend the SCO CHG meeting — which will be the first visit by an Indian foreign minister in nearly a decade.
“The external affairs minister will lead our delegation to Pakistan to participate in the SCO summit, which will be held in Islamabad on October 15 and 16,” said Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry, but did not specify whether Jaishankar would meet any Pakistani leaders on the sidelines.
Pakistan had extended invitations to all heads of government of SCO member states, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the upcoming CHG meeting in Islamabad, Baloch said.
