Sports car to be launched at Fort
* Car affixed with Pakistani flag to participate in UAE rally
* Musharraf, Al Makhtoum to attend function
* Preparations to beautify Fort, Badshahi Masjid in full swing
By Shoaib Ahmed
LAHORE: Lahore Fort has been selected as the launch site for sports car ‘A-1 Grand Prix’, and preparations are in full swing for the event which is to be held in the second week of February, Punjab archeology department told Daily Times on Monday. The car will have the Pakistani flag painted on its door.
Sources said that President General Pervez Musharraf would be the chief guest and Dubai’s sovereign Sheikh Makhtoum Bin Rashid Al Makhtoum would grace the launch. A number of foreign ambassadors will also be present, sources added.
“Pakistan Television (PTV) Lahore will cover the event. However, it has not yet been decided whether the function will telecast live,” sources said, adding that a number of foreign news agencies would also cover the event.
The areas around and inside the fort are being redressed, and grass in Hazoori Bagh, the where the main gathering will be held, is being replaced by the Horticulture Authority (PHA). The car will displayed at Alamgiri Gate and not inside the fort as feared earlier by the archeology department.
Hazoori Bagh and Roshani Gate are being paid special attention to, and new lights have been bough to beautify the approach of the fort. Decorative lights are being wrapped around trees and shrubs near the fort
Overhead electric wiring is being replaced with underground cables and electric poles are being replaced with Victorian style poles to improve the backdrop of the fort. The Badshahi Masjid is also being painted.
Sources said the launch was Makhtoom’s idea and the sports car would participate in a car rally which would be held in United Arab Emirates after a few months.
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