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Vajpayee arrives in Agra

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee arrived in Agra on Saturday night ahead of Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf to prepare for the crucial summit on Sunday.

A visibly tired Vajpayee, travelling in a special Indian Air Force plane, touched down at the Kherai Airport at 11:45 pm where he was received by the Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and Chief Minister Rajnath Singh along with top officials.

Vajpayee arrived at Jaypee Palace at midnight and was received by the Jaypee company chairman Jayprakash Gaur and their hotel division chairman S G Awasthi.

The Prime Minister, who is accompanied by Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra, was given a ceremonial welcome by the hotel staff and then led straight to the presidential suite to retire for the night.

Musharraf and Begum Sehba are expected to reach on Sunday morning at around 9:40 am. The talks between the two leaders will be held at the Summit Pavilion at Palace Hotel around 11:30 am, which will be followed by lunch.

After an hour-long visit to the Taj Mahal by the first couple of Pakistan, the two leaders would again meet at around 6:00 pm.

Musharraf is expected to attend a State dinner hosted by Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri late in the evening.

Meanwhile, all security arrangements have been put in place in Agra with the elite commandos of the Special Protection Group and the National Security Guards taking over the security of the Jaypee Palace and Amar Vilas, where President Musharraf will be staying.

All civilian vehicular movement has come to a standstill at 12:00 midnight on the Fatehabad Road, where the summit venue Palace Hotel and the Amar Vilas are situated.

PTI

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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