Govt announces three-day public holiday

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday declared three-day public holiday in Islamabad and Rawalpindi ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting, scheduled for next week.

The holiday will be observed from October 14 to 16 in both cities to ensure the smooth organisation of the 23rd SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG).

In preparation for the summit, the federal government also announced the deployment of Pakistan Army personnel in Islamabad.

A notification issued on Friday confirmed that army troops would be stationed in the federal capital from October 5 to 17 to maintain law and order during the summit and the visits of VVIP delegations.

SCO summit

The SCO meeting is scheduled to take place on October 15, 16 in Islamabad. Being a host, Pakistan has invited Indian PM Narendra Modi and other member states to visit Islamabad for the SCO meeting.

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will visit Pakistan later this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.