 "Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi meets with a delegation led by Belarus Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov in Islamabad on Nov 24, 2024. X - @ForeignOfficePk")
A 68-member Belarusian delegation arrived in Pakistan as the country continues to struggle with the ongoing tussle between the ruling regime and ex-PM Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. According to Pakistani news outlet Dawn, the delegation touched down in Islamabad on Sunday evening, ahead of the formal state visit by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The visit came after Pakistan and Belarus agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September, to establish a trade roadmap for 2025-2027. According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the Belarusian delegation was led by the country’s Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov.
“On the eve of the visit of the President of Belarus, a Ministerial delegation led by Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov has arrived in Islamabad. It was welcomed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Addl Foreign Secretary Amb. Shafqat Ali Khan & Ambassador to Belarus, Sajjad Khan,” the Pakistani Foreign Office wrote on X.
The visit is coming at a turbulent time
While the Belarusian delegation landed in Islamabad, the PTI convoys from across the country were also en route to the national capital in the much-touted power show. The supporters of the former prime minister decided to head to the capital despite a court order and the government warned against it.
The convoy started heading for Islamabad after Imran Khan issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on November 24. The former prime minister denounced what he described as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people and the passage of the 26th amendment. He went on to call Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government a dictatorial regime.
Amid the chaos, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled that PTI’s planned protest was unlawful and directed the federal government to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in the capital, Dawn reported. Despite the court ruling, PTI supporters, who had set off on their journey earlier in the day, began reaching Islamabad. The party went on to claim that police are detaining its workers and using tear gas to disperse them.
Pakistan focuses on protecting foreign dignitaries
During the state visit, Lukashenko is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discuss areas of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the 68-member high-level delegation includes Belarus’s ministers for energy, justice, transport, natural resources, and emergencies, as well as the chairman of the Military Industry Committee and 43 prominent business personalities.
During the meeting with his Belarusian foreign minister Ryzhenkov, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi termed President Lukashenko’s visit as crucial in strengthening bilateral relations between the two nations. The interior minister stressed that Pakistan greatly values its relations with Belarus and aims to enhance cooperation in various sectors.
Meanwhile, Naqvi also spoke about the looming PTI demonstrations. He mentioned that the PTI supporters were coming onto the route through which the Belarusian delegation was supposed to pass. On Thursday, Naqvi has already maintained that “Protecting foreign dignitaries is our priority."
On Sunday, he added that the interior ministry had made arrangements for the protest with deployments of personnel from the Frontier Constabulary, Rangers as well as the Islamabad and Punjab police forces, Dawn reported.
“Nobody is stopping them (PTI) from protesting, but coming to Islamabad and protesting when a foreign delegation is visiting … during such an important time for the country … the public can reach the conclusion that this is a terrible idea,” Naqvi added.
Pakistan’s struggle to save itself from embarrassment
This is not the first time Pakistan has faced turbulence while foreign dignitaries are arriving in the country. Ahead of the recent SCO Summit which was being hosted by Islamabad, two Chinese nationals were killed and several were injured in a massive explosion outside Pakistan’s Karachi airport.
In the past, Chinese citizens have been victims of several “terrorist” attacks in Pakistan. Many in Balochistan have expressed discomfort with the presence of Chinese nationals in the country, claiming that they are taking up resources that belong to the locals.
Following the incident, the Pakistani authorities curbed movements of Chinese citizens within the country during the summit. Ahead of the arrival of the Belarusian delegation, the country was also marred by violence Sectarian violence which led to the death over 150 people in recent months. While the Pakistani authorities tried to curb the situation by introducing a seven-day ceasefire, the whole saga raises questions whether the country is safe for foreign delegations.