ISLAMABAD: The federal authorities were preparing on Sunday to shut down the capital ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit — an event of international importance.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will be among the senior regional government officials attending the two-day conference on Tuesday and Wednesday (October 15-16).
In the weeks leading up to the summit, the government has introduced new laws that restrict protest in the federal capital.
They have also arrested hundreds of supporters of key opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who attempted to march in Islamabad earlier this month, to register protest for “independence of the judiciary” and release of its jailed founder Imran Khan.
A deadly attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in the mega port city of Karachi last week also deepened security fears.
Local administration has banned protests, sit-ins, rallies and public gatherings in Karachi under Section 144 for a period of five days citing security concerns.
Meanwhile, Section 144 also been imposed in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi till October 17, with the deployment of troops on the streets for the duration of the summit and closure of Metro Bus Service.
Similar restrictions have been imposed in some districts of Punjab, including provincial capital Lahore.
Imtiaz Gul, a security analyst and executive director of the Centre 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 added.
Counter alliance
The SCO comprises Pakistan, China, India, Russia, 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 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.
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.
Protest threat
The country’s domestic concerns are likely to dominate the sidelines of the summit, however.
The incarcerated former prime minister’s PTI 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 Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal during a press conference 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 Monday, along with road closures to reduce movement around the area.
The “red zone” government quarter hosting the summit meanwhile has been spruced up with manicured lawns ringed by razor wire.
It is grappling with a broad uptick in militancy coinciding with the Taliban’s 2021 return to power in neighbouring Afghanistan, where Islamabad saattackers are now taking shelter.
