ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced that Pakistan will host the next Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, directing authorities to begin preparations immediately.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after the recently concluded SCO Summit in Tianjin, China, where Pakistan raised the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty and endorsed a joint declaration condemning terrorist attacks on the Jaffar Express, Khuzdar, and Pahalgam.
Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, the prime minister stressed the need for early arrangements. “We have to start preparing now. We need to build accommodation and further beautify Islamabad. Tajikistan has gifted us saplings, and the CDA chairman with his team is working day and night to plant them,” he said.
Although the premier did not specify a date for the upcoming summit, officials are expected to finalize the schedule in consultation with SCO member states.
Pakistan last hosted an SCO event in 2024, when it convened the Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad. On that occasion, a three-day public holiday was declared, with heightened security measures and restrictions on businesses and routes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
