Pakistan frets over security ahead of SCO summit

Pakistan authorities were on Sunday preparing to shut down the capital ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, overshadowed by recent militant violence and political unrest.

The Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and Premier Li Qiang will be among senior regional government officials attending the two-day conference on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In the weeks leading up to the summit, Pakistan’s authorities have cracked down hard on dissent, banning an ethnic nationalist movement and introducing new laws that restrict protests in the capital.

They have also arrested hundreds of supporters of jailed opposition leader Imran Khan who attempted to march in Islamabad earlier this month.

A deadly attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers in the major port city of Karachi last week has also deepened security fears in a country where separatist groups routinely target Chinese nationals.

Islamabad has authorised the deployment of troops on the streets for the duration of the summit.