The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to be held at the heavily-fortified Presidential Palace in Kabul on Thursday (tomorrow). Karzai was declared the winner of the fraud-tainted August 20 ballot after his closest rival Dr. Abdullah announced a boycott.

Ghulam Muhammad Wazir, press attach at the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul, told Pajhwok Afghan News on Wednesday that President Asif Ali Zardari -- heading a high-level official delegation -- would attend the ceremony.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Rahman Malik, Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and Afrasiab Khattak would accompany President Zardari, Wazir said. He added a team of Pakistani reporters would arrive in Kabul tomorrow to cover the oath-taking ceremony.

Official sources confided to this scribe US, Canada and British foreign ministers would also take part in the oath-taking ceremony. Representatives of other countries are also expected to attend.

Mahmood Ahmadzai, a member of the media office at the Presidential Palace, refused to offer any information about the foreign dignitaries attending the ceremony.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD), meanwhile, announced that tight security measures had been put in place and most roads would be closed to traffic tomorrow. The MoD said Thursday would be a holiday to deal with possible problems resulting from road blockades.

mnm/mud