GILGIT, May 28: The army and security agencies strengthened security arrangements in the Northern Areas on Saturday ahead of an expected visit of President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prince Karim Aga Khan to the Northern Areas on Sunday. Sources said that heavy police contingents had started rehearsal in Gilgit and Skardu towns where the president and his guest Aga Khan were scheduled to visit for inaugurating a rehabilitated fort in Shigar and Sust dry port in upper Hunza near the Pakistan-China border.

Official sources said that they had not yet received confirmation about the visit and itinerary of the president but they were finalizing preparations in anticipation.

Another source said that information about the visit was being deliberately held back to avoid fuss.

A considerable number of followers of Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, have begun to reach Gilgit and Hunza from different parts of the country to catch a glimpse of him.