19 Pakistani Girls in Chandigarh May Cut Short Visit 

Chandigarh: Amid rising tensions, 19 girls from Pakistan who are in the city to take part in a youth festival are likely to cut short their visit even as their security cover has been strengthened.

The girls came to the city Tuesday night on a visit of seven days to take part in the ongoing 11th Global Youth Peace Festival. Pramod Sharma, the event organiser told PTI the girls are under a lot of pressure from their parents who want them to go back in light of the developments that have taken place since Army's surgical strike across the LoC.

The authorities will take a call and they (the girls) may be sent back as early as tomorrow, Sharma said. As per their earlier schedule, the girls were scheduled to visit Shimla also later this week. Sources said the event organisers have been asked to keep a close watch on all who meet the girls to ensure their safety.

A senior Chandigarh police official said adequate security measures had been taken since their arrival in the city Tuesday night. These measures had been further strengthened in the wake of developments after the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army across the LoC, he said.

For most of the girls, who have come here under the banner of Pakistan's Girls for Peace Group, this is their first visit to India.

PTI