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Gilani replaces Musharraf at Beijing Olympics

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani left for China on Thursday to represent Pakistan in the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

Talking to reporters prior to his departure, the PM said Pakistan and China enjoyed excellent relations and “we want to further improve and strengthen these ties”.

The question of who would represent Pakistan at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics took another turn on Thursday evening when it was announced that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani would represent Pakistan instead of President Pervez Musharraf.

Earlier, Musharraf was scheduled to leave for China on Wednesday to attend the ceremony, but decided to cancel the visit due to the domestic political situation.

However, he changed his mind after meeting key allies and aides.

Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq had confirmed at his weekly briefing at 3pm on Thursday that Musharraf would leave for China as scheduled.

However, barely an hour later, the spokesman issued a brief statement for official media that the PM would represent Pakistan at the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics. app/staff report

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