ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of governments’ meeting in October, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch announced at her weekly media briefing on Thursday.

“Pakistan holds the rotating Chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG), which is the SCO’s second-highest decision-making forum. In this capacity, Pakistan will be hosting the SCO Heads of Governments Meeting in October this year,” Ms Baloch said.

The two-day meeting has been scheduled for Oct 15 -16.

The October meeting of the leaders of the member countries will be preceded by a ministerial meeting and several rounds of senior officials’ meetings focusing on financial, economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian cooperation among the SCO member states.

Responding to a question, Ms Baloch confirmed that Pakistan will extend invitations to all heads of governments of SCO member states for the summit, which will be held in person.

FO rejects UN panel’s report on Imran’s detention

“We hope and expect that all members of SCO will be represented at the Heads of Government meeting being held in October,” she added.

UN report on Imran’s detention rejected

Rejecting a recent UN body report labelling the detention of former prime minister Imran Khan as “arbitrary”, the FO spokesperson said the report was “unwarranted” and based on an incomplete understanding of the country’s legal system.

“I will not go into the motives of any organisation or any country on the recent reports or statements they have made,” Ms Baloch said.

“However, I would like to underline that a report on any particular case is unwarranted when it lacks objectivity and is based on incomplete and inaccurate understanding of Pakistan’s legal and judicial system,” she said.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s report criticised the detention of former prime minister Imran Khan, suggesting that it violated international norms.

The report concluded that Mr Khan’s detention lacked a legal basis and seemed intended to disqualify him from running for political office. It stated, “from the outset, that prosecution was not grounded in law and was reportedly instrumentalised for a political purpose”.

The UN group called for Mr Khan’s immediate release and urged reforms to ensure compliance with international human rights standards.

Mr Khan, who was ousted from power in 2022, has been entangled in multiple legal battles since his departure, facing charges ranging from corruption to incitement.

Ms Baloch emphasised that the Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the rights and freedoms of all its citizens, underwritten by an independent judiciary. “Pakistan is a vibrant democracy with robust institutions in place for dispensing justice and upholding the rule of law,” she said.

The FO spokesperson defended Pakistan’s legal processes, stating, “for anyone facing legal proceedings, there are adequate avenues and mechanisms in place to seek justice and for redressal of any grievances. The courts of Pakistan adjudicate questions of law as per Pakistani laws and they will determine the innocence or otherwise of any individual under trial”.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2024