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Pakistan to Shut Airport for Asia Leaders' Arrival
02 Jan 2004 09:56:54 GMT
Pakistan to Shut Airport for Asia Leaders' Arrival
Reuters AlertNet, UK
ISLAMABAD, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Pakistan will close its international airport in
Islamabad for almost two days to boost security for the arrival of Indian Prime
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and other South Asian leaders.
With nerves jangling after two attempts to kill Pakistani President Pervez
Musharraf last month, about 10,000 police, soldiers and intelligence agents
have been deployed in the capital, Islamabad, in an unprecedented security
crackdown.
State-run Pakistan International Airlines said on Friday that Islamabad airport
would be closed during peak daytime and evening hours on Saturday and in the
early hours of Sunday for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) summit.
PIA announced the cancellation of at least nine domestic and international
flights and the re-routing of eight others to "facilitate" the arrival of South
Asian leaders.
On Saturday, the airport will be closed for routine flights from 6 a.m. (0100
GMT) to 11 p.m. (1800 GMT), and on Sunday from 2 a.m (2100 GMT Saturday) to 10
a.m. (0500 GMT).
The heads of the governments of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri
Lanka are also due to attend the gathering. Vajpayee is expected to arrive on
Saturday evening.
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