PM curtails Kashmir visit, to leave this evening

Srinagar, May 25: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided to curtail his three-day visit to Kashmir and will now leave here for New Delhi this evening instead of tomorrow morning.

Sources said the Prime Minister has taken the decision to avoid ''any inconvenience'' to the locals and the tourists as well.

They said the decision also comes in line with Dr Singh's remarks at yesterday's Unified Command meeting here where he stressed for ''maximum security with minimum disruption of normal life.'' The Prime Minister, who arrived here yesterday morning, was earlier scheduled to leave for the national capital tomorrow morning.

The sources said the programme has been changed and Dr Singh will now leave for New Delhi immediately after addressing a news conference here at 1600 hrs.

They said the sitting of day one of the round-table conference was prolonged to accommodate presentations of maximum number of participants and today also, the conclave began early this morning so that it ends by afternoon.

The Srinagar city has virtually been turned into a fortress and a curfew-like situation prevailed in the summer capital with only security forces visible on the streets and roads.

UNI

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