[🇵🇰] Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Pakistan.

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Shehbaz welcomes Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Pakistan, hopes for ‘productive’ visit​

Dawn.com
October 14, 2024

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Rawalpindi on Oct 14, 2024 on a four-day bilateral visit. — DawnNewsTV

PM Shehbaz Sharif greets Chinese Premier Li Qiang as he arrives in Rawalpindi on Oct 14, 2024 on a four-day bilateral visit. — X/CMShehbaz

As Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Pakistan on Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed the hope that his Chinese counterpart’s four-day bilateral visit would be “productive”.

During his visit, Premier Li would also attend the much-anticipated 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG), which is taking place on October 15 and 16 amid stringent security measures.

The government has announced a three-day public holiday in Islamabad, with schools and businesses shut, and large contingents of police and paramilitary forces deployed.

Li’s visit to Pakistan is said to be the first by a Chinese premier in 11 years, with the last one by Li Keqiang in May 2013.

The esteemed Chinese guest was received by PM Shehbaz upon his arrival at Rawalpindi’s Nur Khan Airbase and welcomed with a 21-gun salute, PTV News reported

 

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India’s FM Jaishankar arrives in Pakistan ahead of all-important SCO summit​

Dawn.com | Nadir Guramani
October 15, 2024

India’s Minister for External Affairs lands in Pakistan. — DawnNewsTV

Tajikistan PM Kokhir Rasulzoda lands at the Islamabad International Airport, where Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan welcomed him, on Tuesday. — DawnNewsTV

India’s Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday — the first such visit in nearly a decade — as the 23rd summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is set to commence in the evening.

The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus — with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.

Pakistan became a full member of the SCO at its 2017 summit in Kazakhstan, which was attended by ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, who recently also expressed the hope for reviving ties with India.

In his capacity as the current Chair of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will preside over the summit.

State-run PTV showed images of Jaishankar being greeted by Pakistani officials on the runway after his plane touched down near the capital Islamabad just before 3:30pm.

 

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Belarus PM Roman Golovchenko lands at the Islamabad International Airport, where Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar welcomed him, on Tuesday. — PID

 

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Tajikistan PM Kokhir Rasulzoda lands at the Islamabad International Airport, where Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan welcomed him, on Tuesday. — DawnNewsTV

 

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Jaishankar would “represent India at the meeting”, his foreign ministry said on Tuesday, adding that the country “remains actively engaged in the SCO format”.

“Even though it won’t be a fleeting visit as was previously thought, Jaishankar will likely spend not more than 24 hours in Pakistan before flying back to India,” Times of India reported.

From China, Premier Li Qiang will be attending the summit, with his visit to Pakistan being the first by a Chinese premier in 11 years.

China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will be represented by their prime ministers while Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref will be attending the summit, the Foreign Office has said.

PM Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene of observer state Mongolia and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov of special guest Turkmenistan will also participate in the meeting.

Around noon today, Kyrgyz premier, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Japarov, arrived at the Nur Khan Airbase, where he was received by Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, PTV News reported.