Lahore, Oct 15: Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday arrived for a four-day visit during which he will attend the SCO summit and hold bilateral meetings with his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif and discuss issues of mutual interests, including the strategic CPEC.
This is the first visit by any Chinese premier to Pakistan in 11 years and comes on the back of recent attacks on Chinese nationals working on infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Sharif received Li along with cabinet ministers at the Nur Khan airbase at Rawalpindi near here.
Li and other foreign leaders will attend the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sharif later took to social media to welcome visiting Chinese premier by saying he was delighted to welcome Li to Islamabad. “Looking forward to a historic & productive visit by my brother that will further strengthen and deepen our friendship,” he said in a message on X.
“We will review progress on existing initiatives, especially CPEC and also explore new avenues of mutually beneficial cooperation. Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership is a cornerstone of regional stability & prosperity.”
Pakistan is hosting the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting on October 15 and 16.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to land in Pakistan on Tuesday to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the first high-level visit from India in years amid continuing strain in ties between the two neighbours.
Shortly after he arrives in Islamabad, the external affairs minister is likely to attend a banquet reception hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to welcome the delegates from the SCO member nations, people familiar with the matter said.
Both sides have already ruled out any bilateral talks between Jaishankar and his Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the SCO heads of government summit.
It is learnt that Jaishankar will stay in Pakistan for less than 24 hours.
The last Indian Foreign Minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj. She had travelled to Islamabad in December 2015 to attend a conference on Afghanistan.
Jaishankar’s visit to Pakistan assumes significance as it is seen as a significant decision on New Delhi’s part.
In his recent address at an event, Jaishankar said, “Like with any neighbour, India would certainly like to have good relations with Pakistan.”
“But that cannot happen by overlooking cross-border terrorism and indulging in wishful thinking.”
The decision to send the senior minister is seen as a display of India’s commitment to the SCO.
The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India’s warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.
PTI workers arrested to thwart protest
Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 200 workers of Imran Khan’s party in the Punjab province to thwart its planned protest in Islamabad during the SCO summit, police said on Monday.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had announced to hold a demonstration at the D-Chowk in the capital during the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit that is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
“We have intensified the crackdown against active members of the PTI in different parts of the province and arrested over 200,” a senior police officer told PTI. He said that 50 members each of the party have been arrested from Lahore and Sargodha, and others from Faisalabad, Jhang, Gujrat and Gujjar Khan.
The officer said more arrests are likely by Monday night as there has been a strict order from the government to stop the PTI workers from reaching Islamabad from Punjab.
Many PTI leaders and activists have allegedly gone into hiding to evade arrest.
There has also been a division among the PTI ranks over tomorrow’s protest with Ali Mohammad Khan saying that the party should defer the protest. (PTI)
