SAARC Summit: Concern about Vajpayee's safety

The two attempts on the life of President Gen Pervez Musharraf within a gap of 10 days have caused concern among Indian security officials.

The Pakistani government has permitted Special Protection Group commandos to accompany Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and bring along specialised equipment, including cars fitted with electronic jammers, for his security.

"But in case of suicide attacks, jammers are of no use," one official said in Islamabad.

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Pakistani officials on Friday held closed-door meetings with their counterparts in South Asia to re-evaluate the security arrangements for the three-day summit, which will begin on January 4.

Ruling out postponement, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali and Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat promised 'fool-proof' security arrangements even as Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan insisted no SAARC country has expressed concern over the security situation ahead of the summit in view of the attack on Musharraf.

However, representatives of the seven nations are reviewing the entire schedule and security arrangements for the three-day summit.

Indian officials are taking a very close look at the entire gamut of security arrangements worked out for Prime Minister Vajpayee.

As per the programme agreed upon earlier, Vajpayee was to arrive on January 3 and stay till January 6. He was scheduled to stay in a five star hotel close to the venue of the summit.

Officials in Islamabad admitted that all those arrangements are being reviewed in the light of Thursday's suicide attacks.

At present, indications are that the movement of the heads of SAARC states could be curtailed and the duration of their stay could be cut down from four to two days.

"The picture will be clear in a day or two," officials said.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid has hinted that Musharraf would be shifting residence from Rawalpindi to Islamabad. He told a TV network in Islamabad that after Thursday's attack, it has become inevitable for Musharraf to shift from Army House, the official residence of Pakistan's army chief, located close to Pakistan's Army Headquarters.

Security officials believe he has become a 'sitting duck' for terrorists as he travels a distance of over 20km every day to reach Islamabad.

Some reports even said he has already shifted along with his family to the presidential palace in Islamabad.