Candlelight vigil at Wagah

WAGAH (INDO-PAK BORDER), Aug 15: Extending hands of friendship as a goodwill gesture, hundreds of Indians comprising of human right activ...

WAGAH (INDO-PAK BORDER), Aug 15: Extending hands of friendship as a goodwill gesture, hundreds of Indians comprising of human right activists, intellectuals, journalists, artists and prominent citizens held a “candle light vigil” close to the Indo-Pakistan border here last night on the eve of the 51st Independence Day celebrations.

The participants led by noted journalist and Rajya Sabha MP Kuldip Nayyar called upon India and Pakistan to break the artificial barriers and open up trade. The candle light vigil sponsored by the Indo-Pakistan Friendship Forum for the third consecutive year, however, received no response from the Pakistan side where, except for Pakistan rangers no civilian was present.

Contrary to the earlier occasions, the function this time was held outside the road barrier complex and continued till the wee hours of Saturday. Others who participated in the function included noted film personalities Gulzar and Raj Babbar. The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel guarding the fence did notallow the crowd to enter the road barrier complex but permitted about fifty people to go up to the zero line holding burning candles carrying a message for the Pakistani people that despite tension there still existed a ray of hope to bring the two nations closer.

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They shouted slogans like Hind-Pak dosti zindabad, Hindu Muslim bhai bhai, janta ki dosti zindabad. The road barrier complex on both sides of the border was decorated with flags, colour lights and banners to mark the independence day anniversary.

Tragedy averted

JAMMU: The Indian Army averted a major tragedy by defusing an improvised explosive device near the barrack at Domana, 15 km from here, a defence spokesman said today.

“The device was probably planted by subversive elements in the night and it was set to explode in the afternoon today,” the spokesman said. It was detected in the morning and defused by army experts.