ISLAMABAD — This week, Islamabad is hosting a significant gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional security alliance established by China and Russia aimed at counterbalancing Western influence. Among the notable attendees is China’s Premier Li Qiang, who is making his first visit to Pakistan as Prime Minister in over ten years. The two-day meeting, commencing on Tuesday, intends to explore ways to strengthen both security and economic collaboration among the member nations.

Li’s visit comes on the heels of heightened violence in Pakistan, illustrated by a recent incident where two Chinese nationals were killed and another injured. This occurred when a suicide bomber, believed to be affiliated with separatist groups, crashed an explosive-laden vehicle into a convoy near Karachi’s main airport on October 6. In that attack, eight Pakistani security personnel were also injured. The ongoing projects involving thousands of Chinese workers in Pakistan, particularly along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, have faced resentment from separatists, who accuse them of exploiting the region’s mineral wealth.

Moreover, last week, gunmen murdered 21 coal miners in Balochistan, though the Balochistan Liberation Army denied responsibility for that assault. Authorities are still investigating who may be behind the attack. In a separate incident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a police station was targeted in which at least one officer and three insurgents were killed. While no group has yet claimed responsibility for that attack, the Pakistani Taliban is often suspected, given their history of targeting security forces across the nation.

During his visit, Premier Li is scheduled to meet with Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari along with other senior officials from both political and military sectors. According to the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, the SCO meeting will also see participation from representatives of several nations, including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as attendance from Iran’s Vice President and India’s Foreign Minister.

In response to the escalating violence and security concerns, Pakistan has heightened its security measures within the capital, deploying additional troops and instituting a ban on public gatherings to ensure a controlled environment during the meeting.