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Government's dilemma: To provide
lavish hospitality and tight security

Wrestling with the problem of simultaneously providing top-of-the-line security and 'royal' comforts to Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf during his stay in Agra, the government has short-listed a few luxury hotels to house the visitors.

"Gen Musharraf will get the best of what we have to offer in terms of tight security and lavish hospitality," Manveer Singh, Chief of Protocol in the ministry of external affairs, said.

He, however, declined to reveal which particular hotel President Musharraf would be put up in.

Manveer Singh and a MEA team, along with officials of the Uttar Pradesh government, are hunting for a hotel in Agra which would meet the demands of Gen Musharraf's security detail and match the lavish standards of hospitality that the government wishes to maintain during the Pakistani president and his team's stay in the city.

Singh indicated that more than one hotel was likely to be earmarked considering that several Indo-Pak meetings would be conducted simultaneously.

One of the hotels which appears to have caught the team's fancy is the Jaypee Palace. Not only does it have good facilities but is also spread over 25 acres, which security personnel find most convenient.

Adding to the hotel's lustre is a cavernous convention centre.

The luxurious Amar Vilas - said to be Agra's most expensive hotel (its Kohinoor suite lavishly spread over 175 square metres costs Rs 70,000 per night) - is also in the reckoning.

The hotel is not yet fully open to the public and this would weigh heavily in its favour, MEA officials said.

The third hotel in the race is Hotel Maurya Sheraton.

All the super-luxury suites in the short-listed hotels have a clear view of the Taj Mahal.

All of them promise a gastronomic adventure for the guests from Pakistan.

However, the security aspect would have to be tackled before the government decides to tickle the taste-buds of the visitors.

Manveer Singh indicated that there would be expert marksmen concealed in various pockets of the chosen hotel(s) and the venue of the summit and that mediapersons, including television cameramen and reporters, would have to 'perform their duties from a suitable distance'.

MEA officials contended that Agra is a 'hit' tourist destination for the bulk of Pakistanis visiting India and that the newly-sworn in Pakistan president would be no exception.

They referred to 'the outrageous demand' by a few Pakistanis in the not-too-distant past that since the Taj Mahal was a Mughal monument, it should be broken down and transported to Pakistan.

"While nobody takes such people seriously, the preposterous demand shows the kind of passion Pakistani people attach to the Taj Mahal. We have no doubts that it will mesmerise the visiting dignitary and his team," an official said.

Even as the hype around President Musharraf's impending July 14 visit is building up, there is a silent prayer on the lips of MEA, ministry of home affairs and other government officials that whatever the outcome of the Vajpayee-Musharraf talks, the event should be sans security hiccups.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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