Web Desk (LTN NEWS): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been in office for more than four months, but he hasn’t been to China yet. This is unusual since Beijing is usually one of the first places a new Pakistani leader goes.
When Shehbaz took over for Imran Khan as prime minister in April, it was thought that he would go to Beijing after his trip to Saudi Arabia. But the visit hasn’t happened yet.
Diplomatic sources say that one of the main reasons for the delay in his visit was that Chinese President Xi Xinping was following the strict Covid-19 protocol.
But because Pakistan and China work together strategically, some people think that the Covid-19 protocols might not be the only reason.
Still, neither side said anything official or gave a reason why.
But PM Shehbaz might be able to meet with President Xi in person next month.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit will be held in Samarkand on September 15 and 16. President Xi is expected to be there.
Pakistan is a member of the SCO, which also includes China, Russia, India, and states in central Asia.
Sources told The Express Tribune that President Xi and PM Shehbaz are likely to meet on their own during the SCO summit.
But there is no official word on whether or not President Xi will show up in person. Some reports say that, because of how strict the Covid-19 rules are, he may go to the summit.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will both be at the SCO summit.
The sources said that Pakistan was looking into different ways for Putin and Shehbaz to meet with each other. But nothing is set in stone yet, the sources said.
During a casual meeting, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, asked his Pakistani counterpart, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, to come to Moscow.
At the upcoming summit, India will take over as the leader of the SCO. Some sources say that Modi and Shehbaz might pay each other a visit as a sign of respect.
Even though there was hope for some kind of thaw when Pakistan’s government changed, there have been no signs of progress on the bilateral front.
Even though soldiers from Pakistan and India gave each other gifts and sweets on their independence days, there were no official talks between the two countries.
But despite the tensions, Pakistan said it would take part in the multination anti-terrorism drills in India in October.
In the past, soldiers from Pakistan and India took part in the SCO exercises to fight terrorism. But this will be the first time that Pakistan sends a group of soldiers to India.
