The administration has announced five days of holidays for district courts in Islamabad and Rawalpindi from October 12 to 16, given the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the federal capital.

Pakistan is set to host a two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad on October 15 and 16, with leaders from the bloc attending the event.

The SCO, which includes India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is a significant economic and security bloc that has become one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed satisfaction over the preparations for the SCO summit.

To ensure security, the administration has ordered that wedding halls, cafes, restaurants, and snooker clubs would be closed for five days. A three-day holiday has also been declared for both the Supreme Court and district courts.

In accordance with this, the district courts in Rawalpindi would also remain closed. A notification issued after the approval of Lahore High Court Chief Justice Aliya Neelum stated that the district courts would be closed on October 14, 15, and 16 because of the SCO summit.

It merits here to mention that the federal government has announced a three-day “closed holiday” in the twin cities on October 14, 15, and 16.

A decision has been made to tighten security in the twin cities. Such measures aim to ensure a secure environment during the high-profile event.