Pakistan changes Olympic torch relay route

Islamabad: Pakistan has changed the route for its leg of the Beijing Olympics torch relay tomorrow, apparently as the result of security concerns.

While downplaying the prospect of protests like those that have plagued the torch relay at other stops, Arif Hassan, president of Pakistan Olympic Association, yesterday said security would be tight for the event. Security personnel will run alongside the torch on the premises of a sprawling sports complex.

Hassan earlier had announced plans for the torch relay to pass along a broad, tree-lined avenue in the heart of a government district in the capital, Islamabad.