From PAK PM, Deputy PM to Army Chief… Why did these leaders gather in China?

Following the Pakistan Prime Minister, Army Chief Munir and Deputy PM Dar have also reached China (Photo: X/@MIshaqDar50)

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has reached China to attend the SCO meeting. After this, his Army Chief Asim Munir reached China on Monday September 1, 2025 . When Shahbaz held bilateral meetings with the Chinese President and other leaders on Tuesday September2, 2025 , Munir was also present with him.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had just reached China on a six-day tour on Saturday August 30. 2025 to participate in the Shanghai Summit (SCO) when his Army Chief Asim Munir also reached China on Monday September 1, 2025 . The SCO meeting was held between 31 August and 1 September and on the very next day, Munir almost snatched the spotlight from Shahbaz Sharif by reaching China.

Shahbaz Sharif met President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of Beijing. During this, the two leaders discussed the situation in the region, strategic cooperation and important bilateral issues. During this, Shahbaz Sharif was accompanied by his Army Chief Asim Munir as well as Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.

Sharing pictures of the meeting with the Chinese President on social media platform X, Dar wrote, ‘Under the visionary leadership of President Xi, our evergreen strategic partnership is continuously strengthening. This is promoting peace, connectivity and shared prosperity. We are grateful to our Chinese hosts for the excellent arrangements at the SCO summit and the warm hospitality in Tianjin, Beijing.’

What did Shahbaz Sharif say on BRI, CPEC?

During the meeting, Shahbaz Sharif praised the Chinese President profusely and called him a ‘symbol of strength and stability’. During this, he also praised Xi Jinping’s ambitious project Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its flagship project CPEC i.e. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan.

He said that the friendship between China and Pakistan is unbreakable and both are ‘Iron Brothers’ who are committed to shared development.

A video of the bilateral meeting between the two leaders and representatives of both countries has surfaced in which Shahbaz Sharif’s Army Chief Munir is seen sitting next to him.

For the first time a Pakistani Army Chief reached to participate in the SCO meeting

Asim Munir participated in the SCO meeting on Monday and with this he became the first Army Chief of Pakistan to participate in the SCO summit. This once again made the world know who has the real power in Pakistan.

It is believed that Munir can also take part in China’s Victory Day Parade being held on Wednesday. The Victory Day Parade is celebrated in China every year on 3 September to celebrate the defeat of Japan in the Second World War.

This year is the 80th anniversary of the Victory Day Parade and leaders of more than 20 countries of the world will take part in this parade, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In this parade, China displays its military power to the whole world. Munir will also take part in this parade along with Shahbaz Sharif.

Munir was also with the Pakistani PM during his meeting with the Iranian President

Shahbaz Sharif, who went to China, held bilateral talks with Iranian President Masood Pezeshkian. Pezeshkian had arrived to participate in the SCO meeting. The SCO is an organization of 10 countries in which Iran joined the group in the year 2023. Apart from this, Afghanistan and Mongolia are observer states of the group and there are 14 dialogue partners including Saudi and UAE.

Pakistan has had close relations with the new member of the group, Iran. When the Pakistani PM met Iranian President Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO conference, his Army Chief Munir was also seen with him. Muneer did not leave Shahbaz Sharif alone for even a moment. From this, we can guess what situation Pakistan is going through. Sources have revealed that Munir had reached China jail without invitation!