Agency :
The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan has been cancelled with mutual understanding between the two countries in light of the ongoing protests in Islamabad led by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), senior government sources told Dawn.
Sources confirmed the cancellation a day after confusion began as to whether the Chinese president’s visit, which was scheduled from September 14-16, had been cancelled or delayed.
A senior official close to President Mamnoon
Hussain confirmed to Dawn that the state banquet scheduled for September 15 in honour of the Chinese president stood cancelled.
Senior officials from both countries had met at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Thursday and decided to cancel the visit after discussing all aspects of the visit including the situation in Islamabad.
The final decision from Pakistan’s end was taken by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after consulting his foreign policy and security advisors, government sources told Dawn.
This comes even as Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri have themselves given assurances that there would be no attempt on their part to create an impediment for the Chinese president’s visit. Imran and Qadri have both paid tributes to the Chinese president and have said that China was Pakistan’s closest friend.
The Chinese president is still slated to travel later this month to India as well as Sri Lanka. This will be his first visit ever to South Asian countries after taking office as the president of China.
The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan has been cancelled with mutual understanding between the two countries in light of the ongoing protests in Islamabad led by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), senior government sources told Dawn.
Sources confirmed the cancellation a day after confusion began as to whether the Chinese president’s visit, which was scheduled from September 14-16, had been cancelled or delayed.
A senior official close to President Mamnoon
Hussain confirmed to Dawn that the state banquet scheduled for September 15 in honour of the Chinese president stood cancelled.
Senior officials from both countries had met at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Thursday and decided to cancel the visit after discussing all aspects of the visit including the situation in Islamabad.
The final decision from Pakistan’s end was taken by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after consulting his foreign policy and security advisors, government sources told Dawn.
This comes even as Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri have themselves given assurances that there would be no attempt on their part to create an impediment for the Chinese president’s visit. Imran and Qadri have both paid tributes to the Chinese president and have said that China was Pakistan’s closest friend.
The Chinese president is still slated to travel later this month to India as well as Sri Lanka. This will be his first visit ever to South Asian countries after taking office as the president of China.
