World

Pakistan Shuts Islamabad Before SCO Meet To Maintain Law And Order

By
OB Bureau

New Delhi: Pakistani authorities are all set to shut down Islamabad ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit amid recent militant violence and political unrest. India’s External Affairs Minister S 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 earlier 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, India Today reported.

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’s “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 told AFP.

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

Recent Posts

Another Stone Falls From Jagannath Temple At Khallikote In Odisha’s Ganjam

Berhampur: A stone weighing 2 kg fell from the ‘Singhadwara Gumuta’ of the Lord Jagannath…

November 14, 2024

Sunita Williams Dismisses Rumours About Weight Loss, Explains Her ‘Sunken Cheeks’

New Delhi: Recent pictures of Space Station Commander Sunita Williams from the International Space Station…

November 14, 2024

Payal Rohatgi Calls Out Rupali Ganguly For Dating A Married Man

Mumbai: Actress Rupali Ganguly recently filed a Rs 50 crore defamation case against her stepdaughter…

November 14, 2024

National Hockey: Odisha To Clash With Manipur In Semifinals

Chennai: Odisha will face Manipur in the semifinals of the 14th Hockey India Senior Men’s…

November 14, 2024

India To Push Canada For Extradition Of Arrested Khalistani Terrorist Arsh Dalla

New Delhi: India will again ask Canada for the extradition of designated Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Singh…

November 14, 2024

School Dropout From West Bengal Arrested For Practising As Ayurvedic Doctor In Odisha’s Berhampur

Berhampur: Police have arrested a man from West Bengal for allegedly claiming himself to be…

November 14, 2024

Manoj Bajpayee Recalls Staying In ‘Hell’, Experiencing Starvation

Mumbai: Carving a niche for himself in Bollywood was not a cakewalk for ‘The Family…

November 14, 2024

After Disapproving Of Ranveer, Mukesh Khanna Rejects Tiger Shroff For ‘Shakitmaan’

Mumbai: Mukesh Khanna’s Indian superhero series ‘Shaktimaan’ has been making headlines for quite some time…

November 14, 2024