Posted on 04/16/2008 9:27:10 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
China's ally Pakistan holds top-security Olympic torch ceremony in stadium to foil street protests
Pakistan hosted its leg of the troubled Olympic torch relay today in an invitation-only event guarded by tight security imposed by its pro-China government.
Clearly worried about the possibility of protests or attacks on the high-profile ceremony, thousands of police stood guard with sniffer dogs.
Protests against China's human rights record in Tibet have dogged the torch in London, Paris and San Francisco, but Pakistan has gone to great lengths to avoid trouble during the Olympic symbol's 22-hour visit.
Televised live - the only way the general public could watch - the relay looked almost like a practice run as runners carried the flame around the perimeter of Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad's main sports complex.
The sparse crowd included President Pervez Musharraf - fresh from a six-day trip to China - and a raft of schoolchildren.
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 stadium show was put on after the scrapping of the original plan, to carry the torch along a two-mile route from the white-marble parliament.
Army organizer Col Baseer Haider said the change had been made because of the "overall security environment" and the risk of bad weather following a violent hailstorm yesterday.
Police, many of them armed, 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 allowed in.
A plane carrying the torch from Oman landed in Islamabad airport's military section amid tight security early today.
A Chinese Olympic official carried a lantern containing the Olympic flame down the steps of the jet.
"There is absolutely no chance of any trouble, any protest against it," said Mohammed Yahya of the Pakistan Olympic Association, who is running the event.
The Pakistan Olympic Association has 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 defense and economic links with China. Both are rivals of neighboring India.
The torch's stops in Argentina, Tanzania and Oman have been trouble-free but growing international criticism of China's policies on Tibet and Darfur has turned this summer's Beijing Olympic Games into one of the most contentious in recent history.
The flame travels tomorrow to India, home to nearly 100,000 Tibetan exiles including the Dalai Lama. Thousands of police have been deployed there to avoid chaotic protests.
A big day is coming.
Ping!
“We are going to have a public celebration of this glorious moment, in private.”
I have to wonder who in Pakistan are China's allies?
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