Vicky19
4th April 2005, 00:18
SRINAGAR: Large-sized hoardings of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani Pervez Musharraf acccompanied by messages of peace and friendship have been errected by the Jammu and Kashmir government along the 170 km-long route of Srinagar-Muzaffarbad bus service which would be flagged off on April 7.
This is for the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir that a photograph of a Pakistani leader has been prominently displayed on a hoarding in the valley reflecting the changing scenario in the border state hit by insurgency.
'Dooriyon ko nazdeek karna... Aur dilon ko jodna... Dosti aur aman ke paigambaron ka hai payam' (shortening the distances and connecting hearts;peace messengers bridge the gulf and strengthen the bonds) read one of the hoarding with photographs of Singh and Musharraf side by side.
Before the normalisation of Indo-Pak relations, displaying of Pakistani flag or photograph of leaders of the neighbouring country was considered an offence in the state.
Police and security forces, who were hitherto used to removing flags, posters and photographs having anything to do with Pakistan, were now seen guarding the new hoardings.
Besides the hoardings, the state administration has launched a massive drive to beautify the summer capital ahead of the flaging off ceremony by the Prime Minister.
Sher-i-Kashmir cricket stadium, the venue of the flag off function, has been given a facelift. The footpaths along the road to be used by the Prime Minister are being painted afresh in yellow and black.
However, the route leading to Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, has been painted green-the official colour of the ruling People's Democratic Party.
Ahead of the launch of the service, security has been tightened across Kashmir valley with barricades set up for random frisking at various points.
Four militant organisations have issued warnings to the prospective passengers of the bus service not to play with their lives by boarding the bus.
All vehicles coming into Srinagar city are being checkedto keep militants from sneaking in, official sources said. Patrolling along the 120-km stretch between here and Line of Control at Kaman bridge has been intensified to look for any explosives and sanitise the route to be taken by the special buses for the service, the sources said.
"As a precautionary measure, the state police is offering protection to the prospective travellers on the bus service to ward off any militant attacks on them.
We are offering the passengers protection so that the event goes off smoothly, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Javed Makhdoomi said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/article...836,curpg-1.cms (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1067836,curpg-1.cms)
http://img166.exs.cx/img166/612/3ph78oe.jpg
This is for the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir that a photograph of a Pakistani leader has been prominently displayed on a hoarding in the valley reflecting the changing scenario in the border state hit by insurgency.
'Dooriyon ko nazdeek karna... Aur dilon ko jodna... Dosti aur aman ke paigambaron ka hai payam' (shortening the distances and connecting hearts;peace messengers bridge the gulf and strengthen the bonds) read one of the hoarding with photographs of Singh and Musharraf side by side.
Before the normalisation of Indo-Pak relations, displaying of Pakistani flag or photograph of leaders of the neighbouring country was considered an offence in the state.
Police and security forces, who were hitherto used to removing flags, posters and photographs having anything to do with Pakistan, were now seen guarding the new hoardings.
Besides the hoardings, the state administration has launched a massive drive to beautify the summer capital ahead of the flaging off ceremony by the Prime Minister.
Sher-i-Kashmir cricket stadium, the venue of the flag off function, has been given a facelift. The footpaths along the road to be used by the Prime Minister are being painted afresh in yellow and black.
However, the route leading to Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, has been painted green-the official colour of the ruling People's Democratic Party.
Ahead of the launch of the service, security has been tightened across Kashmir valley with barricades set up for random frisking at various points.
Four militant organisations have issued warnings to the prospective passengers of the bus service not to play with their lives by boarding the bus.
All vehicles coming into Srinagar city are being checkedto keep militants from sneaking in, official sources said. Patrolling along the 120-km stretch between here and Line of Control at Kaman bridge has been intensified to look for any explosives and sanitise the route to be taken by the special buses for the service, the sources said.
"As a precautionary measure, the state police is offering protection to the prospective travellers on the bus service to ward off any militant attacks on them.
We are offering the passengers protection so that the event goes off smoothly, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Javed Makhdoomi said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/article...836,curpg-1.cms (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1067836,curpg-1.cms)
http://img166.exs.cx/img166/612/3ph78oe.jpg