Search the Internet          Tips

Musharraf to have a packed schedule

K J M Varma in Islamabad

A full day has been set aside for the summit meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan in Agra on July 15, official sources said on Saturday.

Musharraf has a packed itinerary. As per the tentative schedule drawn up by officials of the two countries, the general will leave for New Delhi on the morning of July 14.

After a ceremonial welcome, he will stay at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he will have formal as well as protocol meetings with President K R Narayanan, Prime Minister Vajpayee, Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and other leaders.

Musharraf is scheduled to visit Raj Ghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. He will also visit his ancestral home in New Delhi the same day.

Later, he will attend a "high tea" reception hosted by Pakistan's High Commissioner in India Ashraf Jehangir Qazi. He will end the day with a banquet hosted in his honour by President Narayanan.

After an overnight stay in New Delhi, Musharraf will fly to Agra the next morning where he will be engaged all day in a meeting with Vajpayee.

The summit is expected to continue late into the evening and, if necessary, the next morning as well.

"The structure as well as format has been kept wide open for the two leaders to strike a personal rapport, friendship and understanding," the sources said.

Both sides, however, have not yet decided about issuing a joint communique or addressing a joint press conference at the end of the summit.

On July 16, Musharraf is scheduled to fly to Jaipur, from where he will take a helicopter to Ajmer Sharif, and visit the dargah of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

From there, Musharraf will return to Jaipur and fly back to Islamabad.

PTI

ALSO SEE:
Hurriyat seeks meeting with PM, Musharraf
Musharraf may land in Jaipur on way to Ajmer

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report