Fortress called Saarc

Pakistani Army troops were positioned in hills overlooking the capital Islamabad for the first time today as part of massive security effort...

Pakistani Army troops were positioned in hills overlooking the capital Islamabad for the first time today as part of massive security efforts for next week8217;s SAARC summit. The measure, unprecedented for any summit here, follows two assassination attempts on President Pervez Musharraf this month, the latest killing 15 people on Christmas day.

Pakistan military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said Army helicopters will also take part in security surveillance during the January 4-6 summit, during which PM Atal Behari Vajpayee is expected to come face-to-face with Musharraf for the first time in two years. 8216;8216;We are giving top priority and the fullest attention to security,8217;8217; Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar said. 8216;8216;There will be tight and stringent security arrangements during the entire summit period.8217;8217;

Key roads leading to the two big hotels where the foreign guests will be staying will be barred to ordinary traffic along with the route to the convention centre, the summit8217;s venue. No private vehicle will be allowed on these roads during the summit period. Commandos armed with automatic guns and sophisticated gadgets will guard strategic points in the capital while plain-clothes officers will patrol with sniffer dogs, a police spokesman said. Patrols have been stepped up and the capital8217;s entry and exit points are being guarded closely, he added.

Joint secretaries of the seven-member SAARC, heading the programming committee of the summit, are to begin a two-day meet here from tomorrow to finalise the entire programme.

The Indian delegation, headed by Joint Secretary of SAARC desk in the External Affairs Ministry Prabhu Dayal, has arrived here to take part in the talks. The two-day meet of the programming committee will precede another two-day meeting of the SAARC Standing Committee headed by the Foreign Secretaries between December 31 and January 1. The Standing Committee is expected to address thorny issues like the finalisation of the draft agreement on the South Asian Free Trade Area SAFTA.

The treaty is on the verge of becoming reality, as Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar said yesterday that Islamabad is no longer averse to free trade with India through SAARC. Pakistan is expected to grant most favoured nation MFN status to India.

Foreign Secretary Shashank is expected to arrive here through the Wagah border on December 29, while External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha will arrive on January 1, the day India and Pakistan formally resume overflights after a gap of two years.