Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said Pakistan will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting on October 15- 16, marking a significant honour for the country.

Addressing a news conference here in Islamabad on Saturday, he emphasized the importance of the SCO summit, noting that it will be the first visit by China’s Premier Li Qiang to Pakistan in eleven years.

He said the Chinese Premier is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Pakistani officials during his visit. He said the world is acknowledging the recent positive trends in Pakistan’s economic indicators.

The planning minister expressed concern over the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) decision to hold a protest at Islamabad’s D-Chowk on Tuesday.

He recalled the past attempts of the same political party to derail the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Project through similar sit-ins and agitation.

Ahsan Iqbal criticized the PTI founder for promoting a politics of hatred and urged the public to reject such chaos.