Vajpayee to have own security at Saarc meet

Pakistan has permitted India to bring its own commandos and other security apparatus including jammers to provide security to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his four-day visit to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit, beginning here on January 4.

"Pakistan has agreed to the Indian request for bringing in a convoy of security vehicles fitted with high intensity jammers and other sophisticated detection equipment as also a large number of Indian commandos" to provide security to Vajpayee and the Indian delegation, official sources said.

Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha would travel in Islamabad during the summit in their own security vehicles.

The external affairs minister will arrive here on January 1 to take part in the ministerial conference, while Vajpayee will come on January 3, a day before the three-day summit, and stay till January 6.

Pakistan, which has already beefed up security in the capital in the wake of last week's attempt on the life of President Pervez Musharraf, was expected to provide security for the heads of other countries, including Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khalida Zia.

In view of the security threats, all the events of the summit, including the "retreat" session will be held in Islamabad.