PM likely to visit Mumbai before leaving for Russia

New Delhi, July 12 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is keeping a close watch on the situation arising from the serial terrorist blasts in Mumbai, is likely to visit the commercial capital of the country before leaving for Russia on Sunday to attend the Group of Eight (G8) summit of industrialised nations.

The visit to Mumbai is expected to take place on Friday or Saturday, official sources said.

Dr Singh is being kept informed about the probe into the blasts, suspected to be master-minded by the Lashker-e-Toiba, by the Home Ministry and intelligence agencies almost on an hourly basis, the sources said.

''There is no change in the Prime Minister's scheduled visit to Saint Petersburg'' from July 16-18 in the wake of yesterday's blasts in Mumbai and Jammu and Kashmir, they said.

Dr Singh, who had held a meeting with Home Minister Shivraj Patil and his senior aides and security chiefs last night to review the situation, has appealed to the people to remain calm and declared the government's resolve to end terrorism. He is also addressing the nation tonight on Doordarshan.

The G8 summit, whose main agenda is global energy security, is also likely to discuss the threat from global terrorism and the need to fight it unitedly in the wake of the Mumbai blasts. The previous G8 summit held at Gleneagles, the United Kingdom, had been rocked by the serial blasts in London on July 7 last year.

Meanwhile, National Security Advisor (NSA) M K Narayanan today reviewed the security situation in the country with senior officials, including Cabinet Secretary B K Chaturvedi, the chiefs of intelligence agenices and the BSF, defence experts. Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul also attended the meeting.

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