A public holiday has been announced in Islamabad and Rawalpindi from October 14 to 16 in preparation for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting. The Cabinet Division issued a notification on Monday, stating that the holiday is aimed at ensuring the smooth conduct of the 23rd SCO CHG summit.
Islamabad is set to host the high-profile event on October 15 and 16, with major international leaders, including India’s Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, attending. This will mark the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly a decade.
The federal government has implemented an extensive security plan for the summit, calling in the Pakistan Army for troop deployment under Article 245 of the Constitution from October 15 to 17.
Pakistan, currently holding the rotating chairmanship of the SCO-CHG, will lead discussions on regional cooperation in finance, economics, and socio-cultural initiatives. In a statement earlier this year, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch highlighted that the summit would focus on fostering collaboration between member states, including India, China, Russia, and Central Asian nations.
Pakistan extended invitations to all heads of SCO member states, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the summit. The SCO serves as a key multilateral platform for regional security and cooperation.
