Wedding halls, restaurants to shut in twin cities for five days ahead of SCO summit

In preparation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, an order has been issued to close restaurants, wedding halls, cafes, and snooker clubs in Islamabad and Rawalpindi for five days.

Station House Officers (SHOs) have begun collecting guarantee bonds from all owners, and all cash-and-carry marts across the city will remain completely closed from October 12 to 16. Owners are being summoned to police stations to fill out surety bonds.

Due to the summit, suspects at Adiala Jail will also not be presented in court for five days. Courts have started rescheduling all important cases for hearing after October 16.

Commandos and sniper shooters will be deployed on the rooftops of multi-story buildings throughout the city.

A complete ban on pigeon flying and kite flying has been imposed within a 3-kilometer radius around Noor Khan Chaklala Airbase, and operations to demolish pigeon nets on rooftops of houses and plazas have begun.

With the help of female police, the police have demolished pigeon nets from 38 rooftops. The District Officer for Civil Defence stated that all areas will be completely cleared of pigeon nets by Friday, October 11.

During the SCO summit, a decision has been made to tighten security in the twin cities.

Previously, the government announced a three-day public holiday in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to ensure the smooth organization of the forthcoming SCO summit.

A notification released on Monday confirmed that all educational institutions and government offices in the twin cities will be closed from October 14 to 16.

This decision was ratified by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to facilitate the SCO summit, set to take place on October 15 and 16 in Islamabad.

It is worth mentioning that the SCO summit, chaired by Pakistan, will be held in Islamabad on October 16 and 17, with various heads of state, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, in attendance.

The SCO summit is a significant Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Since then, the organization has expanded to include India, Pakistan, and Iran as full members, while Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia hold observer status.

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to visit Pakistan for the SCO summit, marking his inaugural trip to the country on October 15.

This will be the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years, with Sushma Swaraj being the last to make the trip in December 2015.