September 7, 2003	Sunday	Rajab 9, 1424

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PESHAWAR, Sept 6: The Pakistan Air Force announced on Saturday cancellation of the Defence Day celebrations in the city and on the same day Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali also cancelled his scheduled visit to the city due to, what the officials claimed, administrative reasons.

An ISPR official, Major Mansoor, told Dawn that PAF Defence Day celebrations scheduled on Sunday were cancelled due to administrative reasons.

The prime minister and the president had issued instructions to arrange the function without pomp and show in view of the massive floods in Sindh recently, he maintained.

It is for the first time that the PAF has cancelled the celebrations. Major Mansoor denied it was because of security reasons.

Mr Jamali also cancelled his scheduled visit to the city at the eleventh hour on Saturday.

Officials reckoned this, too, could be because of security reasons. Police said they had neither been formally informed about the prime minister’s visit nor its cancellation. They, however, said they had made elaborate arrangements to provide security cover to the prime minister.

“I was informed earlier today that the prime minister is coming to the city. But, later on, I received another message from Islamabad about the cancellation of his visit,” a senior official said.

Meanwhile, police have adopted extraordinary security measures in the city on the Pakistan Defence Day and set up a large number of barricades on the city roads on Saturday.

Even the main frequented Khyber and University roads were blocked for checking, causing road jams and problems for the commuters.

However, the senior police officials did not give specific reason for the unusual security arrangements in the city.