Islamabad

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All eyes are set for the gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The 23rd meeting of the SCO is scheduled for Tuesday (Oct 15) and Wednesday (Oct 16) in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad.

The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus -- with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or "dialogue partners."

Also read | Pakistan tightens security ahead of SCO summit, national airline's offices to remain closed

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The SCO participants will be represented by the prime ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as the first vice president of Iran and foreign minister of India.

Islamabad goes into lockdown

A report by the news agency Reuters said that Islamabad has gone into a lockdown ahead of the summit.

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The government has announced a three-day public holiday in Islamabad, with schools and businesses shut and large contingents of police and paramilitary forces deployed.

Pakistani army troops will be responsible for the security of the capital's Red Zone, the location of Parliament and a diplomatic enclave and where most of the meetings will take place, according to the interior ministry.

Threat alert high in Pakistan

The threat alert has been high in the South Asian nation ahead of the SCO summit, especially after the killing of two Chinese engineers and killing of 21 miners.

Also watch | World DNA: PTI warns of massive protest on Oct 15, ahead of SCO Summit in Pak

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Islamabad has sought to curb all movement of Chinese nationals in the city, citing fears they could be targets for violence from separatist militants.

Also, former jailed prime minister Imran Khan called for a protest on Tuesday for his release and against the government, following violent clashes between the loyalists of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and security forces.

Significance of the summit

Speaking to the news agency AFP, Imtiaz Gul, a security analyst and executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies, said that the SCO Summit in Pakistan held great significance for a country that's "not seen as safe."

"The government claims to have made elaborate security arrangements and understandably so because it has to make sure that the event passes off peacefully without any untoward incident," Gul said.

(With inputs from agencies)