Atal unaware of Sharif8217;s Delhi visit

The prime minister is scheduled to visit Lahore on February 20 by the bus which will start from Delhi early in the morning. He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan after a decade. Rajiv Gandhi had visited the neighbouring country in July 1989.

Reports from Islamabad, quoting highly placed sources, have suggested that Sharif would accompany the Indian prime minister to New Delhi on February 22. However, there is no confirmation yet in this regard.

Pakistan has already confirmed that Sharif would welcomeVajpayee at the Wagah Border when the latter arrives there aboard the bus sometime in the evening on February 20.

Indications are that Vajpayee would fly from here to Amritsar and board the bus near the border. Diplomats in both countries are in touch, giving final touches to his programme.

The nearly 500 km journey will be completed by the bus in about 12 hours, including an hour-long clearance at the Wagah Border. For security reasons, both countries opted for day-time travel.