A 68-member ministerial delegation from Belarus arrived in Islamabad on Sunday evening ahead of a formal state visit by its president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

The visit comes after Pakistan and Belarus in September agreed in principle to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a trade roadmap for 2025-2027.

The delegation, led by Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov, arrived “on the eve” of Lukashenko’s arrival in Pakistan, the FO said on X today.

It was welcomed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Additional Foreign Secretary Europe Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Belarus Sajjad Haider Khan, the FO said.

According to an FO press release issued on Thursday, Lukashenko will undertake an official visit to Pakistan from November 25-27.

“President Lukashenko will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and discuss areas of bilateral cooperation and engagement,” the release read. It added that “several agreements” and MoUs would also be signed during the visit.

The 68-member high-level delegation includes Belarus’s ministers for energy, justice, transport, natural resources, and emergency situations, as well as the chairman of the Military Industry Committee and 43 prominent business personalities, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

In his meeting with FM Ryzhenkov, Naqvi termed President Lukashenko’s visit as crucial in strengthening bilateral relations between Pakistan and Belarus.

The interior minister stressed Pakistan greatly values its relations with Belarus and aims to enhance cooperation in various sectors, APP stated. He highlighted that the visit would further promote cooperation between the two countries in industry, trade and other sectors.

Tense situation in Islamabad

The visit by the Belarus delegation comes amid a tense situation in Islamabad as the PTI gathers for a much-touted power show in the federal capital despite a court order and government warnings against it.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled on November 21 that the protest was unlawful and directed the federal government to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in Islamabad without disrupting public life, particularly in light of the arrival of the Belarusian delegation.

With strict security in place, Interior Minister Naqvi vowed to “protect Islamabad” as PTI convoys from various cities made their way to the capital.

Naqvi said PTI supporters were coming on to the route through which the Belarusian delegation was supposed to pass.

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At a press conference on Thursday, the minister had asserted: “Protecting foreign dignitaries is our priority.

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.

“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 had said.