High-level delegation from Belarus arrives in Pakistan amid PTI party's protest march

Islamabad: A high-level delegation from Belarus, led by Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzinkov, on Sunday arrived in Islamabad ahead of President Alexander Lukashenko’s official visit to Pakistan.

The delegation, including eight ministers and 43 business leaders, was received by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi amid protest by former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

The 72-year-old jailed former premier issued a "final call" on November 13 for nationwide protests on November 24, denouncing what he termed as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he said has strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.

The minister had earlier asked the PTI to postpone its protest due to the visit of Belarusian officials.

President Lukashenko is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Monday. He will hold discussions with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s chief of Army staff.

Important agreements are expected to be signed during the visit to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, an official source said.

Meanwhile, the PTI protest convoy, which started from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, is still far away from the capital and may arrive here on Monday after a midway halt for the night.

The federal government has taken several steps to block the protest, including deploying heavy security forces, sealing key roads, and setting up barriers around the capital.

Police have arrested more than 350 protestors from different parts of Islamabad, according to official sources.