> China's Olympic Shame Continues: Olympic Torch Became a Sport of Hide
> and Seek -- Tight security in Pakistan Olympic torch run
>
> Tight security in Pakistan Olympic torch run
>
> SADAQAT JAN
>
> Associated Press
>
> April 16, 2008 at 2:02 PM EDT
>
> ISLAMABAD ― Runners carried the Olympic flame around the outside of a
> sports stadium Wednesday ― an invitation-only event in front of an
> elite, sparse crowd with heavy security to deter any anti-China
> protesters or terrorist attacks.
>
> Clearly worried about the possibility that the high-profile ceremony
> might be disrupted, thousands of police aided by explosives-sniffing
> dogs stood guard as Pakistan's pro-China government ensured a
> trouble-free stop on the torch's global tour toward Beijing.
>
> Televised live ― the only way the general public could watch ― the relay
> of Pakistani and Chinese torchbearers looked almost like a practice run
> as they jogged on access roads around the perimeter of Jinnah Stadium,
> Islamabad's main sports complex.
>
> President Pervez Musharraf, fresh from a six-day trip to China,
> presented the Olympic flame to the first runner, then joined a raft of
> school children on reviewing stands.
> Pakistani athlete Kiran Bano holds the Beijing Olympic torch as she runs
> around the Sports Complex in Islamabad.
> Enlarge Image
>
> Pakistani athlete Kiran Bano holds the Beijing Olympic torch as she runs
> around the Sports Complex in Islamabad. (Reuters)
> Videos
> Olympic torch run
>
> Torch reaches Pakistan
>
> Runners carried the heavily-guarded Olympic flame onto the grounds of a
> sports stadium in Pakistan on Wednesday
> The Globe and Mail
>
> "I would like the people of China who are our closest friends to know
> that we stand with you and support you in this glorious event you host
> for the entire world," Mr. Musharraf said in an address.
>
> Protests of China's human rights record have disrupted the torch's
> passage through Western cities, and Pakistan has gone to great lengths
> to avoid any repeat during the Olympic symbol's 22-hour stay here.
>
> The original plans for carrying the torch along a two-kilometre route
> from the white-marble Parliament in Pakistan's capital were changed.
>
> Colonel Baseer Haider, an army official helping organize the event, said
> the route was changed because of the "overall security environment" and
> the risk of bad weather. A violent hailstorm hit Islamabad on Tuesday,
> but the weather was fine Wednesday.
>
> Police, many carrying guns, surrounded the stadium, where soldiers
> manned the main gate and checked vehicles with sniffer dogs. Only guests
> with invitation cards issued by the Pakistan Olympic Association were
> being allowed in.
>
> "There is absolutely no chance of any trouble, any protest against it,"
> said event coordinator Mohammed Yahya from the Pakistan Olympic
> Association.
>
> A plane carrying the torch from Oman landed at the military section of
> Islamabad airport amid tight security early Wednesday.
>
> About 60 Pakistani athletes took turns carrying the torch on the grounds
> of the stadium. A display of folk music and dancing were scheduled
> afterward.
>
> The Pakistan Olympic Association urged broadcasters using state TV
> coverage of the torch to avoid "negative comments" and make "no mention"
> of the conflict in Tibet.
>
> Pakistan has strong and long-standing defence and economic links with
> China. Both are rivals of neighbouring India.
>
> The torch's stops in Kazakhstan, Russia, Argentina, Tanzania and Oman
> have been trouble-free.
>
> However, rioting in two Pakistani cities in the past week has raised
> tension in a country permanently on guard against attacks by Islamic
> militants based along its border with Afghanistan. Chinese workers were
> targeted in two deadly attacks last year.
>
> "We have to take care that there is no infiltration by some elements who
> are bent on disrupting our understanding and great relationship," Mr.
> Musharraf said in China on Monday.
>
> The turmoil over the torch relay and the growing international criticism
> of China's policies on Tibet and Darfur have turned the Beijing Olympic
> Games ― which begin Aug. 8 ― into one of the most contentious in recent
> history.
>
> The flame travels on Thursday to India, home to nearly 100,000 Tibetan
> exiles including the Dalai Lama. Thousands of police have been deployed
> there to deter chaotic protests.
>