& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

South Asia unites

AFP, Islamabad
Athletes from eight South Asian countries were gathering here for the start of a regional sporting competition that organisers hope will build bridges between Pakistan and India.
The ninth South Asian Federation (SAF) Games, due to be opened Monday by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, will see athletes from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan compete in 15 disciplines between March 29 and April 7.
Afghanistan is competing for the first time in the event after gaining entry to the South Asian Sports Federation fold last year.
The first SAF Games were held in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1983 and they are now held every two years.
Lieutenant General Arif Hassan, chairman of the SAF Games 2004 organising committee, said he hoped all participants would embrace the event's "rising above" slogan to forget the issues that divide nations and compete in a spirit of true sportsmanship.
"As the South Asian nations come together with their similarities and differences they rise above everything to ... share in the joy and glory as they shed everything just to be part of the Games."
"Our slogan for the Games "rising above" reflects the aspirations of the players, the contestants, the participants, the crowd," he said.
The authorities have tightened security in the capital with the deployment of paramilitary rangers as well as helicopters providing surveillance from the air.
India's participation in the Games is the most significant as it follows a thaw in relations with Pakistan which began last year, and India's first cricket tour of its
neighbour in 14 years, which is currently underway.
The Games were originally scheduled to take place in Islamabad in October 2001 but were postponed due to security concerns after the September 11 terrorists attacks on the US.
The Games were rescheduled for March 2002 but again put off due to border tension with India. In March last year Pakistan was once again forced to cancel due to the war in Iraq.
Around 1,800 athletes and officials will be competing in athletics, swimming, squash, rowing, shooting, boxing, badminton, table tennis, taekwondo, karate, kabadi, football, volleyball, wrestling and weightlifting.
The hosts have entered 400 athletes while India has sent the second biggest contingent of 380.
The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at Islamabad's Jinnah stadium, which has a capacity of more than 45,000.