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Mohali World Cup clash: Army, missiles brought in, Sonia coming to back PM

CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: Anti-aircraft missiles, guns and robotic bomb-disposal units will be deployed in and around Mohali ahead of Wednesday's diplomacy-laced cricket encounter between India and Pakistan that'll be watched by the political who's who from the two sub-continental rivals, defence sources said.

While the missiles will be deployed by the Army's Western Command around the stadium to foil any airborne terrorist attack, the bomb disposal units will be equipped with British-made remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) built to defuse powerful explosive devices.

Several columns of troops from the Western Command at Chandimandir are on alert to deal with any eventuality.

Pakistan PM Yousaf Raza Gilani is scheduled to fly into Chandigarh on Wednesday morning just ahead of Manmohan Singh's arrival. It will be the first meeting of the two leaders after the ghastly 26/11 attack on Mumbai by Pakistani terrorist soured the peace process. Wednesday's meeting between the two leaders has been described by officials as "informal"

But the fact that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will also be in the VIP stands along with Singh and Gilani goes to prove that the party fully backs the PM's peace initiative.

While Gilani will be accompanied by a 50-member delegation, the Indian side will include foreign secretary Nirupama Rao.

The decision to rope in the Army for security was taken at a joint meeting of security agencies at the Punjab Raj Bhawan on Monday morning. Those attending the meeting chaired by Governor Shivraj Patil included top brass of the Western Command.

Sources said help was sought in view of a heightened threat perception by intelligence agencies and apprehensions of a terror attack. The National Technical Research Organization has already been assigned air surveillance and air intelligence interceptions tasks in coordination with the Air Force.