Pakistan approves foolproof security plan for SCO summit

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has approved a comprehensive plan to ensure foolproof security during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting scheduled for October 15-16 in Islamabad.

The approval was given in a high-level meeting chaired by Naqvi at the Ministry of Interior regarding the preparations for the upcoming regional leaders’ summit.

The meeting was attended by top officials, including the federal secretary interior, additional secretaries, Islamabad chief commissioner, Islamabad police’s inspector general, Islamabad deputy commissioner, Frontier Corps (FC) deputy commandant, Pakistan Rangers sector commander, and representatives from security agencies.

During the meeting, security arrangements for the SCO Summit were reviewed in detail and a comprehensive plan was approved to ensure foolproof security.

Naqvi emphasised the significance of hosting the SCO summit in Pakistan, stating that several heads of member states will attend the huddle.

He stated that special arrangements for the beautification and cleanliness of the federal capital will be made on the occasion of the SCO CHG conference.

Additional personnel from Pakistan Army, Rangers, FC, and Punjab police will be deployed for security duties, he further stated.

He underscored that all relevant departments should play their assigned role to ensure the peaceful and successful conduct of this summit through mutual cooperation.

In July this year, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch had elaborated on details of the upcoming SCO moot in Islamabad in a media briefing, saying there would be a ministerial meeting and multiple rounds of senior officials meetings to concentrate on fostering cooperation in finance, economics, socio-cultural affairs and humanitarian efforts among member states.

She highlighted that 2024 marks a significant juncture in Pakistan’s relationship with the SCO, with Pakistan assuming the rotational Chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG), the organisation’s second most critical decision-making body.

Pakistan had extended invitations to all heads of government of the SCO member states, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the upcoming CHG meeting in Islamabad, the spokesperson confirmed in August.

It is noteworthy to mention here that Pakistan had assumed the chair of the SCO CHG in October last year and will hold more than 80 events till November this year.