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Agence France-Presse

Pakistan authorities were preparing on Sunday to shut down the capital ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, overshadowed by recent militant violence and political unrest.
The Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be among senior regional government officials attending the two-day conference on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the weeks leading up to the summit, Pakistan’s authorities have cracked down hard on dissent, banning an ethnic nationalist movement and introducing new laws that restrict protest in the capital.
They have also arrested hundreds of supporters of jailed opposition leader Imran Khan, who attempted to march in Islamabad this month.
A deadly attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in the mega port city of Karachi last week has also deepened security fears in a country where separatist groups routinely target Chinese nationals.
Islamabad has authorised the deployment of troops on the streets for the duration of the summit.

Imtiaz Gul, a security analyst and executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies, said the meeting holds great significance for a country that is “not seen as safe”.
“The government claims to have made elaborate security arrangements and understandably so because it has to make sure that the event passes off peacefully without any untoward incident,” he said.
The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus – with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.
All visiting member nations are expected to send government heads apart from Pakistan’s arch-rival India, who will dispatch its foreign minister in a rare visit to its neighbour.
The SCO is sometimes touted as an alternative to the Western-dominated Nato military alliance.


As China’s claim over Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have seen them clash with the United States and Europe, analysts say the SCO is one forum where they are trying to curry regional influence.
While the SCO has a mandate to discuss security, the Islamabad summit is due to focus on trade, humanitarian and cultural issues.
Pakistan’s domestic concerns are likely to dominate the sidelines of the summit, however.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has threatened to stage protests, a week after scattered demonstrations by supporters saw the capital locked down for three days, with mobile phone signal cut and exit and entry points blocked.
“The PTI doesn’t want to showcase the positive side of Pakistan to the world,” accused planning minister Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary during a news conference on Saturday.
“Instead, they aim to present a picture of the country filled with tear gas and unrest.”

Authorities have declared a three-day public holiday for Islamabad and the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi starting on Monday, along with road closures to reduce movement around the area.
The “red zone” government quarter hosting the summit has meanwhile been spruced up with manicured gardens ringed by razor wire.
“Islamabad is one of the safest cities that we have … extraordinary security arrangements have been made with regard to this summit,” information minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters in Islamabad on Sunday.
“Pakistan is opening up to the world … it will prove to be a very successful summit,” Tarar said.
Cash-strapped Pakistan is particularly at pains to protect citizens from China because it is a major investor, sending funds and staff for million-dollar infrastructure projects.
Pakistan is grappling with a broad uptick in militancy coinciding with the Taliban’s 2021 return to power in neighbouring Afghanistan, where Islamabad claims attackers are now taking shelter.


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Pakistan

Pakistan’s SCO summit overshadowed by militant violence, political unrest

Workers decorate a street ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad, on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (left) meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday. Photo: AP

Two Chinese workers were killed in an attack claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army. The targeted group was affiliated with the Port Qasim Electric Power Company, part of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Photo: EPA/EFE

China sends security task force to Pakistan after latest Karachi terrorist attack

Two Chinese citizens were killed in the attack near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. Photo: Xinhua

Balochistan militants deny responsibility in attack on mine workers

Members of the Pakistan Mine Workers Federation shout slogans during a protest against the killings of coal miners in Balochistan’s Duki district, in Quetta on Friday. Photo: AFP

An injured man receives treatment at a hospital in Quetta, following a coal mine attack in the Duki area, Balochistan province, Pakistan, on Friday. Violence in Balochistan has escalated in recent years, with frequent clashes between Pakistani security forces and separatist groups seeking greater autonomy for the province. Photo: EPA-EFE

China’s security agency vows to boost intelligence sharing after deadly attack in Pakistan

Security officials inspect the scene of a blast near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan. China’s 
Ministry of State Security says combating terrorism is a “shared responsibility of the international community”. Photo: EPA-EFE

Pakistan killings send China a grim reminder

Pakistani security officials on Monday inspect the scene of the blast outside the Jinnah international airport in Karachi. Photo: EPA-EFE

China calls on Pakistan to ‘severely punish’ attackers after 2 Chinese die in Karachi

A Pakistan Airport Security Force member stands guard near the wreckage of vehicles after an explosion near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on October 6, 2024. Photo: Reuters

A vehicle burns at the site of a deadly explosion outside the Karachi international airport on Sunday. Photo: AP

News

Asia

South Asia

The Indian Foreign Minister, the Russian Prime Minister, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be among senior regional government officials


The Indian Foreign Minister, the Russian Prime Minister, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be among senior regional government officials.


Diplomacy

Terrorism

Islamic militancy

Belt and Road Initiative