Top Pakistani officials are refusing to disclose how and on what the country's powerful spy agency Inter Services Intelligence spent a whopping Rs 5.55 billion allocated to it during 2007-08. "This is highly sensitive information and hence I can't talk about it at an open forum," Finance Secretary Salman Siddiqui told the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly or the lower house of parliament.
Pakistan on Tuesday called on India to 'review the practice' of describing Jammu and Kashmir as its 'integral part' of its territory, even as Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani flayed the alleged human rights violations in the Valley. "Indians should quit the policy of finding a solution to the Kashmir issue under their constitution and they should review the practice of calling (Jammu and) Kashmir an integral part of India," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said.
Five people, suspected to be Arabs, were arrested in London on Friday over an alleged plot to harm Pope Benedict XVI, now on a state visit to the UK. The five men, in the age group of 26-50, were picked up by Scotland Yard on Friday morning in central London and were being questioned by counter-terror detectives.
Imran Farooq, a leading member of the Muttahida Quami Movement -- Pakistan's third largest political party, was stabbed to death outside his London home on Thursday evening, the police said. The Metropolitan Police said they were called to reports of a serious assault in Green Lane at Edgware in north London. "The next of kin have been informed." He said, adding that so far, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
Pakistan sought an "early and full resumption" of the dialogue process with India, saying it wants constructive, sustained and result-oriented talks on all issues, including the Kashmir problem.
The Afghanistan government will engage with Taliban elements which are not part of the Al Qaeda network as it continues its military campaign against extremism and terrorism, President Hamid Karzai said on Wednesday. "We believe that while we are continuing our campaign against extremism and terrorist networks, the Al Qaeda and its associates, we will also seek means other than a military campaign to bring stability to Afghanistan and to Pakistan by extension," he said.
At least 13 people, including women and children, were killed and nine others injured on Thursday in a powerful explosion outside the home of a provincial minister in Quetta and a landmine blast in Kurram tribal area, the latest in a slew of terror strikes across Pakistan.
A group of 141 Indian fishermen were released by Pakistani authorities from a jail in the southern port city of Karachi, completing the process of freeing 442 fishermen who have completed their prison terms. The fishermen, freed from Malir Jail, will cross over to India via the Wagah land border on Tuesday.
Lakhvi's lawyer Khwaja Sultan, who has been accused by the prosecution of filing numerous petitions to delay the trial, told PTI that his client would not approach the Lahore High Court for bail.
Pakistani authorities issued orders for the release and repatriation of 442 Indian fishermen in the wake of a case filed in the Supreme Court regarding their unlawful detention.
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court conducting the trial of seven suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks reserved till Monday, its decision on a bail petition filed by Lashkar-e-Tayiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Officials of the home and prisons departments of Punjab province and the local police force were quoted by the Daily Times newspaper as saying that there would be a "gradual" release of the detainees in the next few days
The Indian government has not yet been formally asked to start supplying the aid and the Foreign Office spokesman said the matter is still being discussed. "We are working on it and the decision will soon be made public," spokesman Abdul Basit said.
Pakistan slammed Afghan National Security Advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta for alleging that the country and its military intelligence were linked to terrorists, saying it would not be "distracted by such unfair remarks".
India and Israel are the only two countries whose aid workers will not be granted special visas by Pakistan to join relief efforts for the millions of people affected by the country's worst floods.
Authorities in northwest Pakistan have launched a crackdown against banned terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba that are engaged in relief efforts for flood victims and closed down 16 camps set up by these organisations.
The minister will meet education sector and senior business representatives to take forward dialogue as part of the broader consultation process on the UK's immigration policy.
Amid global concerns that terrorists may take advantage of the devastating floods in Pakistan, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), blamed by India for the Mumbai attacks, has claimed that it has received donations for the deluge-hit people from "hundreds" of British-Muslims. The JuD, which acts as a front for the Lashkar-e-Tayiba that carried out the 2008 strikes in Mumbai leaving 166 people dead, is said to have significant support in the UK, The Sunday Times reported.
Pakistan's Shahbaz air force base in southern Sindh province, which is home to the country's newest F-16 jets, is 'controlled by the United States', a senior official has said. Health Secretary Khushnood Lashari made the stunning claim about the Shahbaz airbase in Jacobabad area during an appearance before the Standing Committee on Health of the Senate or upper house of Parliament on Wednesday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances