Public banned from torch relay in Pakistan

(CNN) -- The Olympic torch relay will be closed to the public when it reaches Pakistan on Wednesday because of security concerns, a Pakistani government spokesman told CNN.

Instead of the original plan of holding the relay in public streets in Islamabad, the relay will be held in front of invited guests in a stadium, said Lt. Col. Baseer Haider Malik.

The decision to move the relay behind closed doors came a day after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf attacked the West over the protests that have dogged the event.

Musharraf accused Western leaders and media of politicizing the Olympics by criticizing China's human rights record and its policy in Tibet.

"First of all, we consider Tibet an inalienable part of China," he said in an interview with China Daily on Sunday. If "anyone is harboring or abetting the separatists, we condemn that."

Musharraf is in Beijing to meet with various Chinese officials.

Last week the international leg of the Olympic torch relay set off protests in London, Paris and San Francisco. The relay received warmer receptions over the weekend in Argentina and Tanzania. Follow the torch relay around the world »

The torch was due to arrive in Oman on Monday, the only stop in the Middle East for the relay.

The United States, Great Britain and other Western nations have urged the Chinese government to exercise restraint in dealing with the sometimes violent demonstrations held by Tibetan monks.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would not attend the opening ceremony in Beijing in August. And while U.S. President George Bush has not committed to attending the opening, he does plan to attend the Games. Follow an historical look at the Olympics and politics »

Last month, the U.S. State Department released a report saying the Olympic host has one of the most repressive human rights record in the world. It said China has "stepped up efforts to rid Beijing" of those protesting various grievances, and has committed abuses such as extrajudicial killings, torture and forced labor.

"You cannot superimpose the human rights and democracy environment of a Western country onto other countries," Musharraf added. "That is the error that the West and the Western media makes. This does not work at all and this must stop."

He also said he would cooperate with China -- a historical ally to Pakistan -- in the fight against terror.

The two nations have had a close relationship for decades, with Beijing providing economic, military, and technical assistance to its neighbor. E-mail to a friend

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