Pakistan

Marianne Pearl Sues Pakistan Bank for Funding Husband’s Murder
The widow of murdered U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl is suing 23 individuals she holds responsible, plus the bank she believes funded them.

Indo Pak Issues Other Than Kashmir
Everyone knows about India and Pakistan's "Kashmir issue". Find out other issues other than Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

Ministers Quit Pakistan Cabinet
Pakistan's fragile coalition government suffered a bruising blow today when Nawaz Sharif, leader of the second largest party, pulled his ministers from the six-week-old cabinet

Sharif Quits Pakistan Coalition Over Judges Dispute
Leader of second-largest party pulls ministers from coalition cabinet in move that will destabilize an already precarious government

BBC to Resume Unvetted News in Pakistan
End to long running dispute that saw BBC accused of compromising its editorial independence

Police Foil £400,000 Kidnap Plot By Gang in Pakistan
Bradford businessman targeted by gang appeals for trust in the police to prevent growing number of similar crimes

Outsourcing Torture
The British establishment newspaper, The Guardian, has reported that MI 5 is outsourcing the torture of Pakistani-origin Britons, suspected of having terrorist links, to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Crisis Talks As Pakistan Coalition in Jeopardy
Coalition government leaders meet for talks in Dubai to avoid a damaging split

Pakistan's Coalition Leaders in Crisis Talks Over Judges
Leaders of Pakistan's governing coalition holding talks in Dubai on their pledge to reinstate judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf

The Harsh Destiny of Baloch Women
The Balochs must be offered the chance of a referendum to decide for their future.

Splitting the Atomic Scientist
The US is looking on with interest at a tug of war over AQ Khan, the man behind Pakistan's nuclear program

US Offers Pakistan Government $7bn in Non-military Aid to Fight Terrorism
Civilian cabinet told drone air strikes will be curbed as new strategy marks break with previous policy

'Quietly Triumphant' Sharif Turns Screw on Musharraf
After nine years in exile, Pakistan's former PM is back in power and doing his best to depose the president

The Cultural Genocide of Balochistan
To the dominant Punjabis in Pakistan, who make up 58 percent of the population, it is unthinkable that the Baloch Nation should have special claims to Balochistan, which represents 48 percent of the land area of the country.

Pakistan's New Leaders Tell Us: We Are No Longer Your Killing Field
Envoys receive tepid reception as Bush administration scrambles to engage with new civilian government

End the Illegal Occupation of Balochistan!
The next protestation is a very particular occurrence: the Protest at the 60th Anniversary of Forcible Annexation of Balochistan by Pakistan.

New Pakistani Prime Minister Frees Judges
Bhutto loyalist Yousaf Raza Gilani orders release of ex-chief justice within minutes of taking power

Bhutto Loyalist is Named Pakistan Prime Minister
Yousaf Raza Gilani, a party stalwart from southern Punjab, is to become new prime minister

Pakistan to Meet Militants
US fears as new coalition government plans to negotiate with its 'own people' - the extremists

Pakistani Balochistan – Medical Treatement denied to Baloch Political Leader
Arrested in September 2006, Mr. Akhtar Mengal is scheduled to die in jail, as the merciless extremist Islamist tyrant Musharraf denies him every access to elementary medical treatment.

Baluchistan’s Long Route for Self-determination and Independence
Among the Baluchi foremost statesmen, who contributed to the success of the Baluchi boycott of the Pakistani elections, is Mr. Sanaullah Baloch, Member of the Senate of Pakistan.

Storm Clouds Gather As Pakistan Prepares for a New Dawn
Benazir Bhutto's teenage son and political heir to announce the identity of Pakistan's next PM

Suspected Us Missiles Kill Militants in Pakistan
Attack on tribal area house kills at least 20 people, including several al-Qaida militants

Foreigners Target of Fatal Pakistan Blast
Woman killed and British envoy among injured after bomb attack on Italian restaurant

24 Killed in Twin Lahore Suicide Blasts
More than 200 injured in latest escalation of militant campaign against Pakistan government targets

24 Killed in Double Lahore Suicide Blasts
More than 200 injured in latest escalation of militant campaign against Pakistan government targets

At Least 20 Dead in Twin Lahore Blasts
At least 20 people were killed and 100 injured this morning in two huge bomb blasts in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, the latest escalation of a militant campaign against government targets

US to Deploy Training Troops in Pakistan
US to send military advisers to Pakistan to train soldiers fighting extremist groups in the country's tribal areas

Suicide Bomber Kills 27 at Funeral in Pakistan
A suicide bomber kills 27 people at the funeral of a police officer who had died in a roadside bomb earlier in the day, according to officials in north-west Pakistan

Pakistani Military 'misspent Up to 70% of American Aid'
US embassy staff believe expenses claims inflated as armed forces deny serious irregularities

Three Killed As Armed Men Storm British Aid Agency in Pakistan
Attack spark fear of further violence against foreign organizations

Three Killed in Attack on British Aid Office in Pakistan
Three local employees of UK aid group killed as gunmen storm office in north-west Pakistan

Pakistani General Killed As Suicide Bomber Strikes Convoy
A suicide bomber killed a Pakistani general and at least seven other people in Rawalpindi today, marking the first major attack on the army since the general election a week ago

Pakistani Army General Killed in Suicide Blast
Surgeon general and two other people killed as bomber targets government office in Rawalpindi

Three Dead in Pakistan Suicide Bombing
Blast targeting government office in Rawalpindi is first outside troubled north-west region since elections last week

Pakistanis Dream of a Peaceful Life As Hardliners Routed in Peshawar
Music and dancing are back as a poll landslide for secular parties brings vibrant change

Explainer: What Happens Next
Prospect of a government uniting Pakistan's main opposition parties could herald historic transition

Deposed Pakistan Judge Demands Crisis Measures Overturned
Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry calls on opposition leaders to reverse the dismissal of judges and other measures imposed under emergency rule

The Voice of a Country
Leader: For once, the voice of the people of Pakistan has been loud and clear

On the Campaign Trail in Pakistan
On the campaign trail in Pakistan as voters cast their votes

The View From Food Street
Those who claim Islam is incompatible with democracy should have lunch in Lahore, writes Jason Burke

Pakistan Polling Begins Amid Fears of Violence
Sympathy vote for assassinated Benazir Bhutto's party expected to give it the edge in election beset by worries of militant attacks

Why Pakistan Is A Mess
Today, February 18, is a very important day in the history of Pakistan. After a gap of several years, Pakistan is holding what the world hopes will be a free and fair election. To understand why Pakistan is such a mess, it is important to know a bit about its history.

Violence Flares As Poll Nears in Fearful Pakistan
Suicide bomber kills 37 and opposition leaders complain of intimidation and vote-rigging

Suicide Bomb in Pakistan Kills 37
A suicide bomber rammed a car into a Pakistan election candidate's office killing 37 people

Bhutto Ghost Dominates Pakistan Election
Sympathy vote predicted for husband's party as Musharraf warns against post-poll protests

Frontier Electioneering in Pakistan
Declan Walsh joins a tribal leader for some unorthodox campaigning in Pakistan's turbulent North West Frontier province ahead of next week's national elections

Six Killed in Pakistan Suicide Bomb Blast
At least six supporters of an independent election candidate were killed today in a suicide bomb attack in Pakistan

Pakistan-based Taliban Pose Global Risk, Thinktank Warns
Taliban groups based in Pakistan could pose significant international terrorism threat, analysts at a leading thinktank warn

10 Militants Killed in Pakistan
At least 10 suspected militants killed when a missile struck a house in north-west Pakistan, say officials

Pakistan School Hostages Released
Gunmen released dozens of child hostages from a school in north-west Pakistan yesterday after a car chase, a shootout with police and a five-hour siege

A Territory Plagued By Lawlessness
Mark Tran on Pakistan's North West Frontier province, where 250 children were taken hostage

Militants Release Students and Teachers Taken Hostage at Pakistan School
Gunmen release unharmed dozens of students and teachers they had taken hostage at a school in north-west Pakistan, government says

Musharraf Maintains Pakistan is on Course for March Poll
Pakistan president pledges free and fair elections in Pakistan next month, despite Amnesty International warning of a 'political catastrophe'

Pakistan Border Attack Claims 42 Lives
The Pakistani military killed 37 militants while losing five of its men in the latest clash in the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border, the army said today

Musharraf Finally Lifts Ban on Tv News Channel
Pervez Musharraf lifted a ban on Pakistan's most popular television station yesterday, less than a month before parliamentary elections

Instability in Pakistan
Key events in the turmoil gripping Pakistan

Police Targeted in Deadly Pakistan Suicide Bomb
Suicide attack outside high court in Pakistani city of Lahore kills 22, mostly police

At the Heart of Pakistan, Life Keeps a Normal Beat
Far from the violence of the big cities, life for the many millions of ordinary Pakistanis continues as peacefully as ever. Benazir Bhutto's assassination is just a news item on the teahouse TV and gossip about the price of crops and cricket is more likely to be heard than the rhetoric of extremism

Families, Guns and Feuds: How Pakistan Votes
One small town provides a snapshot of an electorate riven by tribal infighting

Wrong-footed Bush Forced to Rethink Policy on Pakistan
American plans for Musharraf-Bhutto coalition thrown into disarray

Leading Parties Declare Intent to Keep Poll Date
Pakistan's three main parties last night agreed to contest elections on schedule next Tuesday, despite the crisis triggered by Benazir Bhutto's assassination last week

'This Regime is Unpopular ... Its Credibility is Rock Bottom'
Pakistan's leading newspapers are concerned by the differing versions of how Benazir Bhutto died and sharply criticize the government for providing her with apparently poor security protection

Brown Offers British Help to Pakistani Authorities
Britain last night made a direct offer to help in the investigation into Benazir Bhutto's assassination

Pentagon Readies Plans for Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal
The Pentagon is working on a series of contingency plans to prevent Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Islamist radicals and insisted today that the arsenal was safe in spite of the upheaval in the aftermath of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Instability in Pakistan
Key events in the turmoil gripping Pakistan

Disbelief and Despair Among Supporters
A sense of foreboding and anxiety hung over British mosques as members of the country's Pakistani community gathered for Friday prayers yesterday

50 Killed in Suicide Bombing at Mosque
More than 50 people were killed yesterday when a suicide attacker detonated a bomb at a crowded mosque near the home of Pakistan's former interior minister on one of Islam's major holidays

Pakistan Suicide Bomber Kills 55 at Mosque
Up to 55 killed when a suicide attacker strikes a mosque near the home of Pakistan's former interior minister

Dozens Die As Pakistan Suicide Bomber Targets Mosque
At least 35 killed when a suicide attacker attacks a mosque near the home of Pakistan's former interior minister

British Suspect in Alleged Bomb Plot Fled After Guards Let Him Pray at Mosque
Escape came during return from extradition hearing· Pakistan government 'cringingly' embarrassed

Soldiers Targeted in Pakistan Suicide Bombing
Suicide bomber kills nine soldiers and wounds another four in north-west Pakistan

Pakistan Manhunt for Escaped British Terror Suspect
· Man accused of airline plot slipped his handcuffs· Disappearance strains relations with Musharraf

Pakistan Lifts Emergency Rule But Media Curbs Remain
President Pervez Musharraf yesterday lifted emergency rule in Pakistan but otherwise gave few signs of further concessions towards restoring democracy in the nuclear-armed country ahead of the 8 January election

Pakistan Opposition Parties Issue Election Demands
Pakistan's opposition parties today were close to agreement on a set of conditions for their participation in elections scheduled for January

Younis Pulls Pakistan Out of Peril
A century from stand-in captain Younis Khan earned Pakistan a draw in the second Test against India.

Derobed and Lonely: Life on Civvy Street
Pakistan's political striptease reached a peaceful climax yesterday, to much relief. After numerous promises to remove his uniform, Pervez Musharraf finally made good on his word even if it was, as one newspaper put it, 'a bit late in the day'

Pakistan Suspended From Commonwealth
Country suspended for second time in eight years for failing to meet deadline to lift emergency rule

Failure to Meet Deadline Brings Fresh Commonwealth Suspension
Pakistan was suspended from the Commonwealth yesterday, for the second time in eight years, after President Pervez Musharraf failed to meet a deadline for lifting emergency rule

Pakistan Suspension Tops Agenda at Commonwealth Summit
Pakistan is expected to be suspended from the Commonwealth at a meeting of the the organisation's foreign ministers in Kampala, Uganda, today following talks last night between Gordon Brown and President Pervez Musharraf

Pakistan Says 3,400 Political Detainees Are Freed
Pakistan's military ruler President Pervez Musharraf slightly eased his opposition crackdown yesterday as he flew to Saudi Arabia for a short state visit

Pakistan Frees 3,000, But Arrests Go on
Lawyers and political activists among those released in first hint of thaw in crisis measures, but protests and clashes with police continue

Pakistan Frees 3,000 Held Under Emergency Rule
Opposition leaders and judges remain in custody amid first hint of thaw in crisis measures

US Looks to Make Allies of Pakistan's Tribesmen
The Pentagon is seeking to beef up Pakistan's counter-insurgency efforts in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan by expanding an American special forces team in the country to train the Frontier Corps and recruiting local militias to take on the insurgents.

US Could Enlist Pakistan Tribal Leaders
Proposal would see leaders in border areas of Pakistan enlisted to fight al-Qaida and Taliban, emulating tactics in Iraq's Anbar province

Instability in Pakistan
Key events in the latest crisis in Pakistan

Commonwealth Ultimatum to Pakistan
Commonwealth foreign ministers threatened Pakistan last night with expulsion from their organization if its president, Pervez Musharraf, fails to repeal the state of emergency and step down as army chief in the next nine days

Britain Must Accept Its Role in the World is As a Minor Player
Jackie Ashley: As leader of a nation with limited clout, Brown should focus his foreign policy on places we still matter - such as Pakistan

Four Charged With Treason in Pakistan Crackdown
Three politicians and a union activist have been charged with treason by Pakistani authorities for making anti-government speeches.

Instability in Pakistan
Key events in the latest crisis in Pakistan

Pakistani Police Use Emergency Powers to Detain Protesters
Pakistani police launched a harsh crackdown today on the first street protests since General Pervez Musharraf assumed sweeping emergency powers last Saturday.

A Proud, But Failing, State
Peter Preston: Pakistan has long been riven by divisions, but today it stands on the brink of chaos.

Seven Die in Suicide Bombing at Pakistan Army Hq
A suicide bomber struck at the gates of Pakistan's army headquarters yesterday, killing seven people and quickening the tempo of Islamist violence that is destabilizing the country.

Fresh Fighting Near Scene of Pakistan Suicide Attack
A fierce clash broke out today between security forces and pro-Taliban supporters in north-west Pakistan, near the scene of a suicide attack that killed 20 people.

Pakistani Elections
Key events surrounding the presidential vote.

The Seed of Radicalism
In the second of his reflections on his return to Pakistan, Jason Burke finds corruption fueling conspiracy theories and swelling rebel ranks.

Going Nowhere
Jason Burke was based in Pakistan from 1998 to 2000, and has been a frequent visitor since. Here he returns to find the country unmoved.

Pakistani Troops Resume Shelling Near Afghan Border
Pakistani troops have resumed shelling in North Waziristan in fighting that has left about 250 people dead and caused thousands to flee.

Fairweather Friends?
So guess which country is the world’s largest arms purchaser – with $5.1 billion worth of orders in 2006? Give up? It’s the Islamic state of Pakistan. And coming in third with $3.2 billion in armaments ordered is the Islamic state of Saudi Arabia.

Beyond the Ballot Box
What this weekend's presidential election in Pakistan means for General Pervez Musharraf.

Burka-clad Bomber Kills 15 in Pakistan
Officials were today checking whether a suicide bomber in Bannu, north-west Pakistan, was a man or a woman.

Countdown to Pakistani Elections
Key events in the build-up to possible elections.

Politics in Pakistan
Key political, military and judicial events in Pakistan in 2007

Afghan Captors Free Pakistani Troops
More than 260 Pakistani troops kidnapped by a pro-Taliban group in Afghanistan have been freed, according to security officials.

A Strong-arm Tactic That Only Exposes Weakness
Declan Walsh: As Pakistan's latest political theatre unfolded yesterday one question loomed larger than ever: is this the endgame for President Pervez Musharraf?

Military Spies Among 25 Killed in Suicide Blasts
Two suicide attacks on the doorstep of Pakistan's army killed 25 people and injured more than 70 yesterday including intelligence agency officials.

Suicide Bombs Kill 24 in Pakistan
Army bus blown up after military operations in volatile border region.

Bomb Attacks Kill at Least 24 in Pakistan
Two bombs went off in an army bus and a commercial center in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi today, killing at least 24 people and injuring dozens more, military officials and police said.

Power Without the People
Leader: Pakistan's fundamental problem is that it is dominated by a military establishment that combines unrealistic and expensive strategic ambitions in its region with a vice-like hold on the extensive privileges it has built up at home.

Government Can Ride Out Political Crisis, Says Pakistan's Pm
· No plans for state of emergency, Guardian told · President's woes grow as exiled rival plans return

Pakistan Court Quashes Former Pm's Exile
· Musharraf's arch-rival free to return, says chief justice· Ruling deepens political pressure on president

Pakistan Can Work It Out
Roy Hattersley: Bhutto represents the country's best hope of taking its place among democratic nations.

Cross-border Meeting 'ushers in Era of Love' Say Afghans and Pakistanis
They have bickered, traded insults and hurled bitter accusations at one another. But yesterday President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, came together for a surprisingly warm show of unity.

State of Many Emergencies
Leader: President Pervez Musharraf's announcement that he was committed to holding free and fair elections in Pakistan was not so much meaningless as ominous.

Pakistani Pop Stars Promote Anti-terror Hit
Yeh Hum Naheen, This Is Not Us, has become an anthem for Muslims wanting to distance themselves from extremism and violence and the artists want it to inspire a similar reaction in Britain, where the single has just been released.

More Bloodshed As Pakistan Awaits Verdict on Chief Justice
A fresh wave of suicide bombings killed 51 people and wounded dozens in Pakistan yesterday as the country braced for a key court verdict this morning that could trigger further instability.

Crisis Grows As Blast Kills 13 Opposition Supporters
A powerful bomb ripped through a crowd of opposition supporters in central Islamabad last night, killing at least 13 people and ratcheting up the stakes in Pakistan's snowballing crises.

Pakistan's Big Problem
Musharraf has much to worry about, but his greatest worry is hidden on the Afghan border. By Peter Preston

Red Mosque Siege Declared Over
Pakistan's prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, declared the Red Mosque siege over today, saying that government forces had regained full control of the compound after a 36-hour assault.

73 Bodies Recovered at End of Mosque Siege
Al-Qaida deputy threatens Pakistani president - Total death toll put at 106, including nine soldiers

Fears of Heavier Death Toll As Mosque Siege 'nears End'
As Pakistani troops moved to wipe out the last pockets of resistance at Islamabad's Red Mosque today, there were fears that the death toll could rise dramatically with as many as 100 civilians believed to be unaccounted for.

Chief Cleric Among Scores Killed in Red Mosque Assault
The chief cleric of Islamabad's Red Mosque was among at least 59 people killed today during an all-out assault on the compound, Pakistani officials said today.

More Than 50 Dead As Troops Storm Red Mosque
Fears of large-scale casualties at Islamabad's Red Mosque increased this morning as an all-out assault on the compound by Pakistani security forces moved into its ninth hour.

Hostages Flee As Army Moves in to Break Mosque Siege
Assault mounted after talks to end standoff fail - Pakistan troops breach walls of compound

Fresh Fighting Reported Near Besieged Mosque
Pakistan army launches fresh assault despite cleric's offer to surrender.

Cleric in Mosque Siege Offers to Surrender
Hopes raised for end to three-day standoff - Smoke pours from roof as Pakistan army tightens net

Head Cleric of Radical Mosque Attempts to Flee in Burka
Cleric at mosque besieged by Pakistani army is caught trying to escape from compound dressed as a woman.

Mosque Standoff Escalates Into Bloody Battle
Radical students clash with security forces - Nine die as tensions boil over in Pakistan

Pakistani Judges Order Sweep for Bugging Devices
Pakistan's supreme court judges have ordered a sweep of their homes and courtrooms for spying devices after the government presented 'scandalous' evidence in its case against the suspended chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Pakistani Minister Who Sparked Rushdie Row Plans Uk Visit
Minister seeks to ease anger over his remarks, as Muslim clerics and Martin Amis enter the debate.

Rushdie Knighthood 'justifies Suicide Attacks'
· Pakistani MPs pass resolution condemning author Salman Rushdie's Queen's birthday honor · Muslim Council of Britain says knighthood a final insult from departing prime Minister Tony Blair.

Rushdie Knighthood Rekindles 18-year-old Controversy
Outcry after minister's suicide bombing remarks - Pakistan parliament to make official complaint

Pakistan's Chaudhry Crisis
Explainer: Never before in Pakistan's 60-year history had a civilian refused the orders of a military leader.

Pakistan Bans Political Meetings in Capital
The Pakistani government has banned political meetings in Islamabad and restricted media coverage of the suspended chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Curbs on Media and Meetings Banned to Halt Judge Protests
The Pakistani government has banned political meetings in Islamabad and restricted media coverage of the suspended chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Book Shines Light on Pakistan Military's '£10bn Empire'
Business interests range from cement to cornflakes - Little transparency into officer-led conglomerates

Book Shines Light on Pakistan Military's '£10bn Empire'
Business interests range from cement to cornflakes - Little transparency into officer-led conglomerates

Female Afghan and Pakistani Politicians Forced From Office
Pakistan's and Afghanistan's leading female politicians have been pushed from office by conservative men accusing them of indecency and being too outspoken.

Female Afghan and Pakistani Politicians Forced From Office
Outspoken women MPs incur conservative wrath - Tourism minister branded 'obscene' for pictured hug

Pakistan Bloodshed Opens New Fault Lines
Religious and ethnic divisions, poverty, power cuts and typhoid: all this in a city of 14 million, enduring 40 degree heat. Jason Burke reports from the violent streets of Orangi, Karachi.

Hotel Blast Kills 25 As Pakistan Crisis Deepens
Suicide bomber leaves warning of more attacks - Musharraf's rule under threat amid internal strife

Explosion Kills 24 in Pakistani Provincial Capital of Peshawar
A bomb exploded today in a hotel in the city of Peshawar, killing at least 24 people. Today's incident heightens political tension in Pakistan as the President, General Pervez Musharraf, faces a growing challenge to his rule.

Pakistan
Leader: Not a day goes by without more trouble for Pakistan's president-general Pervez Musharraf.

Strikes Paralyse Pakistani Cities After Street Violence
Worst clashes in 20 years kill more than 40 people - President faces serious leadership challenge

Strike Cripples Pakistani Cities Amid Political Clashes
A general strike virtually shut down Karachi and other major Pakistani cities today, in protest over violence at the weekend that left 41 dead.

27 Killed, Dozens Wounded As Pakistan's Crisis Erupts
Gun battles on Karachi streets as chief justice is trapped at airport.

Pakistan's Odd Couple
World Briefing: Most likely to join the president-general Musharraf in unblessed political union is Benazir Bhutto, a twice-spurned prime minister, whose return from exile is anticipated. Obstacles may yet rupture such an alliance, not least that they have been at daggers drawn for years.

US Entry Visa Plan for British Pakistanis Denied
British and US officials today denied a report that the US was seeking ways of imposing entry restrictions for visiting Britons of Pakistani origin, following a spate of UK bomb plots involving citizens with links to Pakistan.

British Boy Shot Dead on Family Visit to Pakistan
The family of a 10-year-old British boy shot dead in Pakistan claimed his killer had murdered three other people but had never been jailed.

Pakistan Team Pays Tribute to Woolmer
Prayers for man who was 'shepherd' to players - Doubts grow over finding that coach was strangled

Pakistan Insists on Reciprocal Deal for Terror Suspect
Activist who has lived in UK for 20 years is one of eight men wanted by Musharraf.

Pakistani Court Orders Lifting of Chief Justice's House Arrest
Pakistani judges hearing a case against the country's top judge said today that restrictions against him should be dropped, as demonstrators took to the streets in protest at his suspension.

Pakistan's 'disappeared ' Victims
Seven-year-old Saud Bugti's father was picked up by secret police on a street corner in Karachi last November.

Pakistani Riot Police Trash Tv Station
Protests grow over bid to sack chief justice - Musharraf apologises for attack on broadcasters

Pakistan President Faces Open Revolt As Lawyers Take to Streets Again
Thousands more protest against judge's sacking - Musharraf under pressure at home and abroad

Pakistan Lawyers Clash With Police Over Judge's Sacking
Lawyers clashed violently with police and boycotted Pakistan's courts today as protest grew over the sacking of the country's top judge.

Pakistan Arrests Senior Taliban Commander
Ex-defence minister close to fugitive leader - Operation may be turning point for Islamabad

No Prevention, No Cure
The deadly train explosion last Sunday on the Samjhauta Express, currently the only railway service between India and Pakistan has been in the news lately. What is not so widely reported is that the tragedy was entirely preventable.

Pakistan Angry at Us Intelligence Chief's Terror Claim
The Pakistani government protested yesterday over a claim by the head of US intelligence, John Negroponte, that al-Qaida and Taliban leaders were hiding inside Pakistan.

Misbah Rana/molly Campbell Staying in Pakistan - for Now
The schoolgirl Misbah Rana will remain in Pakistan until at least next month after an appeal by her father was postponed, a lawyer for her mother said today.

42 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Revenge Attack on Camp
· Second suspect arrested after suicide bombing · Explosion follows army raid on radical madrasa

Scowls, Shoves and Security Concerns Mar a Royal Passage to Pakistan
Rapid rescheduling after madrasa raid made journey by Charles and Camilla largely irrelevant.

Prince of Wales Will Go Where Few Vips Dare on State Visit to Pakistan
The Prince of Wales has begun his latest official tour for all the world as if he was not visiting one of the world's top trouble spots, Pakistan, surrounded by high security.

80 Dead in Pakistan Madrasa Raid
Pakistani forces using helicopter gunships killed around 80 alleged militants today in a pre-dawn attack on a religious school near the Afghan border in a tribal area notorious for its al-Qaida sympathies.

Pakistani Leader Mulls Pardon for Death-row Briton
Pakistan's president is considering pardoning a British man whose threatened execution has been opposed by Prince Charles and Tony Blair.

One Year On, Pakistan's Desperate Refugees Pray for Another Miracle
Up to 1.8m survivors living in makeshift shelters as Himalayan winter closes in on Pakistan's refugees.

Pakistan Criticised Over Journalist Killing
Reporters Sans Frontières has attacked Pakistan's government for not releasing the findings of an investigation into the killing of a journalist. By Julia Day.

Angry Family Boycott Funeral of Pakistan Chieftain
· Burial in desert grave follows five days of riots · Some doubt coffin contains body of leader

I Left of My Own Free Will, Says Girl at Centre of Pakistan 'abduction' Case
Girl, 12, tells how she left her mother and stepfather for a new life in Lahore.

UK Seeks Briton's Extradition From Pakistan
Britain has requested the extradition of Rashid Rauf, a Briton arrested in Pakistan earlier this month in connection with the alleged plot to blow up US-bound passenger planes.

Baluchis Vow to Avenge Killing of Tribal Leader
· Riots rage over deadly strike by Pakistan military · Critics accuse Musharraf of bad miscalculation

Something Old, Something New
Pakistan's oldest religious party aims to harness rationalism and democracy in the creation of an Islamic state, hears Randeep Ramesh.

British Man Back on Death Row in Pakistan
A British man was reported to be back on death row in Pakistan last night, awaiting execution for a murder a court had previously cleared him of committing.

PM Accuses Pakistan Over Mumbai Bombs
· Musharraf broke promise to curb terror, Singh says · Peace process between rivals effectively stalled

Pakistan Plane Crash Kills 45
All 45 people onboard a Pakistan International Airlines flight were killed today when their plane crashed soon after takeoff, officials said.

Slick Dvds of Executions and 'martyrs' Help Insurgency
Western diplomats say the videos help to extract funds from wealthy Pakistanis and Middle Eastern conservatives.

Pakistan Delays Hanging As Briton Seeks Blood Money Deal
President Pervez Musharraf has granted a one-month stay of execution to a Briton facing death by hanging in Pakistan for the murder of a taxi driver 18 years ago.

Pakistan Does Not Deserve to Be Called a Basket Case
Response: We have had to make tough decisions in difficult times - and we have not balked, says Imran Gardezi.

Pakistan's Power Shift
Who will replace the general-president, Pakistan's unelected leader since 1999, and how his departure can be achieved are questions so far lacking answers - meaning that, as often in the past, an eventual shift in power is likely to be messy. By Simon Tisdall

He's the Chat Show Queen of Pakistan
Begum Ali is the Dame Edna Everage of the Islamic world, thanks to a television revolution.

Vani Tradition in Pakistan
Outlawed custom that parcels out young women in marriage survives in rural Pakistan.

Karachi Bomb Attack Leaves at Least 45 Sunni Worshippers Dead
A powerful bomb ripped through a crowd of Sunni Muslims in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi yesterday evening, killing at least 45 and raising fears of an escalation of tit-for-tat sectarian atrocities.

29 Women and Children Killed in Mosque Stampede
A stampede after an Islamic ceremony killed at least 29 women and children and left more than 100 injured in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi yesterday.

Quake Victims Forced Home
Six months after 75,000 died and millions were made homeless, Pakistan this weekend began returning refugees to the danger zone. Lucy Rock reports from the Siran Valley.

Smoke and Mirrors
A journalist's disappearance has exposed America's attempts to assassinate Osama bin Laden's deputies in Pakistan's tribal areas, writes Declan Walsh

Pakistani Society Looks Other Way As Gay Men Party
· Homosexuality 'thriving' despite strict criminal code · Marriage and cultural factors offer camouflage

Pakistan Bans 'killer Kites' From Ancient Spring Festival
It is one of Pakistan's great parties - a joyous spring festival in the southern city of Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, where party goers crowd on to rooftops under a riotous sky filled with fluttering kites.

Terror Threat to Supply Lines As British Gear Risks Pakistani Roads
· Afghanistan-bound heavy kit routed via militant port · Islamabad denies problem with Karachi gateway

Pakistan Puts Rebel Town Under Curfew After Fighting
Pakistan imposed a curfew on the battle-scarred tribal town of Miran Shah yesterday in an attempt to end three days of fighting between pro-Taliban militants and government troops. Thousands of civilians continued to flee the tribal area as helicopter gunships attacked suspected rebel hideouts and...

Explosion at Us Consulate in Karachi Kills Diplomat
A suicide bomb killed an American diplomat and three other people in the port city of Karachi yesterday on the eve of President George Bush's first visit to Pakistan.

Pakistan Bomb Kills American Diplomat
An American diplomat was among four people killed by a car bomb outside the US consulate in Pakistan today, just days before George Bush arrives in the country. At least 52 people were wounded by the blast, which also damaged a luxury hotel in Karachi.

America's Captain Faces Sticky Wicket
George Bush's abilities as an opening batsman may be tested when he visits Pakistan this week. By Simon Tisdall

Cleric Offers Reward for Killing of Cartoonist
A Pakistani cleric today offered 1.5m rupees (£9,600) and a car as a reward to anyone who killed the cartoonist who drew images of the prophet Muhammad.

Western Businesses Burn in Pakistan Riots
· Three die as 70,000 stage protest over cartoons · Officials blame radical groups ahead of Bush visit

Two Killed in Pakistan Cartoon Protests
Two people were shot dead and 11 injured in Pakistan today as thousands of Muslims protested over the Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.

Sectarian Battles Kill 32 in Pakistan and Afghanistan
A major Muslim holy day in Pakistan and Afghanistan prompted sectarian chaos yesterday when a suicide bombing and several bloody riots left at least 32 people dead and scores injured.

Goodbye, Farewell and Amen to the Last Us Mash Unit
After aiding quake survivors, America hands its only mobile field hospital unit to Pakistan.

Islamic Protesters Fail to Disrupt Mixed Marathon
A mixed-sex marathon passed off peacefully in Pakistan yesterday, despite threats of violent disruption from Islamic conservatives.

The Week: Pakistan | Russia | Kenya | Mexico | Iraq
President General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan told CNN that the US missile strike earlier this month, which killed 22 people near the border with Afghanistan, was a 'violation of...

Pakistanis Vent Fury Over Us Attack
· Musharraf under pressure after air strike kills 18 · Reports cast doubt on presence of al-Qaida target

Diary
The Diary's current favourite word is rendition. Consider the rendition of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, who, when captured in Pakistan in late 2001, was the highest-ranking al-Qaida member in US custody.

Attacks Leave Churches Gutted and Religious Minorities Living in Fear
Mob's rampage in Pakistan after rumours of Qur'an desecration worries communities that usually live in peace.

Border Opens As Quake Cash Pledged
International donors pledged £1.75 billion in aid to quake-hit Pakistan yesterday as Kashmiri villagers made a historic and emotional foot crossing over the disputed boundary with India.

Rebels Claim Responsibility for Karachi Blast
A rebel group has claimed responsibility for a car bombing in which three people died and 22 were injured in Pakistan today.

Aid Crosses Kashmiri Line - But Families Remain Divided
Hope for millions starving in quake-hit mountains as Indian-Pakistani links grow.

Sixty Mourners Drown As Ferry Capsizes Off Pakistan
Sixty people drowned today when their overloaded ferry capsized in the Arabian Sea off southern Pakistan.

Pakistani Rape Victim is Glamour's Woman of Year
Mukhtaran Bibi, a Pakistani rape victim, is to receive a "Woman Of the Year" award today from the US magazine Glamour.

UN Calls for £310m to Stop Second Wave of Death in Quake-hit Pakistan
800,000 are still without shelter, aid workers warn · Oxfam names rich states that have given nothing

UN Calls for £310m to Stop Second Wave of Death in Quake-hit Pakistan
800,000 are still without shelter, aid workers warn · Oxfam names rich states that have given nothing

IMF Warns Pakistan Of Post-Quake Budgetary Challenges
Although the international community is providing assistance, Pakistan is bound to face an unavoidable widening of its budget deficit.

Same Old 'Pakistani' Mentality
Indian soldiers actually crossed the LoC to save their Pakistani counterparts and show human kindness. But what they get instead is not even a 'thank you'.

Forgotten Village Trapped Behind a Wall of Rock
As relief arrives in Pakistan, isolated mountain areas are still cut off.

British Charities Join Forces to Launch Aid Plea
British aid organisations agreed yesterday to launch a coordinated appeal to raise funds for Pakistan's quake victims.

Britons Get Fast-track Visas
Emergency visa centres were set up at Heathrow and Manchester airports yesterday for people travelling to Pakistan to search for relatives.

Hundreds of Freed Prisoners Cross Indo-pakistani Border
Peace process sparks mass repatriation in Punjab Countries' leaders to meet on sidelines of UN summit.

Islamabad's Favourite George
Declan Walsh explains how an Englishman abroad won fame - and citizenship - through Pakistan's first reality TV show.

British Diplomats Attacked in Pakistan
A son-in-law of the disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan - who sold nuclear secrets to Iran and North Korea - has been arrested in Islamabad for allegedly attacking two British diplomats, it emerged yesterday.

The Place Where Women Risk Lives to Run for Office
Even if Shad Begum wins a seat in in this month's Pakistani local elections, there is no guarantee the local Pashtun men will allow her to occupy it.

Pakistani Troops Save Climber From Killer Peak
The Pakistani army plucked a stranded climber from an icy ledge on one of the world's most treacherous mountains in a daring high-altitude rescue yesterday.

Pakistan to Expel Foreign Students in Crackdown
General Pervez Musharraf pledged to expel an estimated 1,400 foreign students from Pakistan's Islamic schools and arrest extremist leaders as part of a crackdown on militant groups.

Foreign Students Ordered Out of Pakistan Madrassas
The Pakistani president today ordered all foreign students in the country's religious schools - the madrasas - to leave.

11 Britons Feared Dead in Red Sea Resort
Pakistani group in spotlight. As many as 11 Britons may have died in the triple bomb attack on the Egyptian holiday resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, it was revealed yesterday.

A Nation Stands on the Brink of Extremism
Sectarian radicals are putting Pakistan's moderate majority under massive pressure. Jason Burke, in Nurpur Shahan, finds allies of the West and a cleric who praises the UK bombers.

Pakistan Questions Briton on 'key Role' in Bombings
Suspect reportedly caught with explosives, British passport and cash.

Pakistan Denies Arrest of British Bombing Suspect
A government minister in Islamabad today denied reports that Pakistan had arrested a British Muslim in connection with the London bomb attacks.

Ambassador Denies Pakistan Linked to Bombs
British policies in Middle East are to blame for London attacks, says envoy to UN.

Triple Train Crash Kills 128 in Remote Town in Southern Pakistan
At least 128 people died and hundreds were injured when three trains crashed in a deadly chain-reaction after the driver of one misread a signal in southern Pakistan yesterday.

Seven Arrested in Pakistan for 'honour Crime' Rape
Pakistani police arrested seven men on charges of kidnapping and gang raping a woman in retaliation for her young relative's affair with a sister of one of the suspects in the latest of a string of so-called honour crimes, officials said yesterday.

Few Rules, No Referee and the Wildest Polo Anywhere As Pakistan Towns Battle It Out
They call it the "game of kings" but surely only the most courageous sovereign would dare to brave the annual polo tournament in Pakistan's northern mountains.

Pakistani Court Backs Rape Victim
Court overturns acquittals and orders new arrests.

Final Act of Rape Case Puts Pakistan on Trial
Pakistan's supreme court will begin to consider whether to reimpose the death sentence on six men accused of gang raping a woman whose battle for justice has become an embarrassment to President Pervez Musharraf.

Afghans Lay Blame on Pakistan
Afghanistan accused Pakistan of sheltering Taliban militants yesterday as police questioned three Pakistani men allegedly caught plotting to assassinate the US ambassador to Kabul.

From Conflict to Conciliation
Randeep Ramesh explains how a Hindu hardliner came to raise the question of whether India and Pakistan are ready to live peacefully side by side.

Facing the Awkward Truth
Pakistan's obsession with its external image must not prevent coverage of its many problems, says Declan Walsh.

Ban on Rape Victim Leaving Pakistan
The Pakistan government has placed Mukhtaran Bibi, the victim of one of its most notorious rape cases, on a list of people forbidden to leave the country.

Six Die in Kfc Restaurant During Riots
Six people died inside a blazing Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Karachi during riots sparked by Pakistan's second sectarian suicide bombing in four days.

Bomb at Pakistan Shrine Kills 20
A bomb ripped through a gathering of Shia pilgrims in the Pakistani capital yesterday morning, killing 20 people, wounding dozens more and raising fears of a surge in sectarian violence.

FBI Accused Over Torture in Detention
Two US citizens yesterday alleged that FBI interrogators were complicit in their torture and illegal detention by Pakistani security forces over an eight-month period.

Rights Victory As Pakistani Women Join Race
Hundreds of Pakistani activists who reached Lahore's cricket stadium on Saturday scored a small but highly symbolic victory - for the right of men and women to run together.

UK to Boost Arms Sales to Pakistan
Britain and Pakistan have agreed to boost intelligence and defence collaboration under a memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad this week.

Where Liberals Love a Dictator
Pakistan's experience of democracy as a kind of elective feudalism is a reminder that the ballot box by itself is no panacea. William Dalrymple

Pakistani Army Chief Rebukes Americans
Cross-border tensions in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida militants erupted into the open yesterday as Pakistan's frontline commander issued a stinging rebuke to the top US general in Afghanistan.

Bomb at Shia Shrine Kills 27
At least 27 people were killed and 18 wounded when a bomb exploded yesterday at a gathering of minority Shia Muslims in a remote town in south-west Pakistan.

Pakistani Punjab Swal
Analysis: Randeep Ramesh: As the breadbaskets of India and Pakistan dry up, the blows they trade over Kashmir will have more to do with water than land.

Cross-border Kiss Stirs Up Passions in Pakistan
The cold war is thawing between Pakistan and India, but a new cross-border controversy suggests that while all is fair in war, it may not be in love.

UN Congo Force Kills 50 in Clash With Militia
Pakistani unit denies taking revenge for Bangladeshi deaths.

Bus Service Resumes in Kashmir
India and Pakistan announced a number of peace measures yesterday after a more than a year of talks, the centrepiece of which was a bus service between the capitals of divided Kashmir, the first direct link in more than 50 years of fighting.

Progress on Kashmir, Says Straw
Pakistan and India are making "continued progress" over the disputed Kashmir region, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, said after meeting Pakistani leaders yesterday.

Death Toll Mounts in Pakistan After Second Dam Burst
Pakistani rescue teams battled against multiple disasters over the weekend as the death toll from a week of blizzards and torrential rainfall climbed to more than 360.

Dam Burst in Pakistan Leaves 400 Missing
At least 54 people were killed and hundreds remained missing last night after a dam burst following a week of torrential rain across Pakistan.

Transplant Tourists Flock to Pakistan
Skint, depressed and with moneylenders banging on his door, Muhammad Iqbal decided four months ago to transform his fortunes by selling his last valuable possession - a kidney.

Lahore Bar Gives Pakistanis Breath of Fresh Air
With its velvety sofas and soft lighting, Pakistan's first bar looks and feels like it could be in any western city, with prices to match.

Lahore Buckles Up for Thrills and Spills of Kite Carnival
Five million people are expected to throng Lahore next weekend for Basant, the spring festival of Hindu origin that has become Muslim-majority Pakistan's most riotous street party.

Spirits of democracy
The president's pledge to restore democracy has yet to lift the ghostly air hanging over Pakistan, writes Declan Walsh

10 Killed in Pakistan Bombing
At least nine people were killed and 23 wounded when a bomb exploded in south-western Pakistan today.

Nine Killed in Pakistan Bombing
At least nine people were killed and 23 wounded when a bomb exploded in south-western Pakistan today.

The One That Got Away
Declan Walsh on the young militant from the tribal regions who has become the scourge of the Pakistani government.

Pakistan Set to Ban Religious Rallies After Bombs Kill 40
The government of Pakistan yesterday moved to ban all religious gatherings, except those at mosques, after bombs planted in a car and on a motorcycle exploded at a rally commemorating the death of an assassinated Sunni Muslim radical.

A morning beer in Pakistan
Pakistan's only brewery does surprisingly well in a country that is officially almost dry. It would be unusual anywhere at nine in the morning, but in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan the proposal borders on the illegal.

Pakistan Pleads for Release of Iraq Hostages
Pakistan was struggling today to secure the release of two of its citizens kidnapped in Iraq and threatened with death if Islamabad followed through on tentative plans to send troops to the country. The Pakistani foreign ministry - wary of both giving in to terrorists and antagonising...

Fresh Hope in Peace Talks for Kashmir
Pakistani and Indian civil servants will sit down tomorrow in Delhi to outline a possible solution for the disputed state of Kashmir.

Attack on Pakistani General Kills 10
At least 10 people were killed yesterday when gunmen ambushed a convoy containing one of Pakistan's top generals in the southern port city of Karachi. Four attackers threw bombs and fired on army vehicles in what was seen as an audacious attempt by hardline Islamic militants to kill...

Pakistan on Course to Regain Place in the Club
Pakistan is expecting to be readmitted to the Commonwealth at a meeting beginning in London today after being expelled in 1999 when the current president, Pervez Musharraf, overthrew the democratic government in an army coup. The US has been pressing the Commonwealth to allow Pakistan...

'Suicide Bomber' Kills 15 at Karachi Mosque
A suspected suicide bombing killed at least 15 people and injured more than 125 yesterday in a mosque packed with mainly Shia worshippers in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi. A doctor at a state-run hospital said more than 20 people were in a serious condition in intensive care...

US Envoy's Threat of Military Action Angers Pakistan
American ambassador provoked a diplomatic row with Pakistan yesterday by threatening to send US troops into the country if Taliban fighters and al-Qaida terrorists were not hunted down.

Six killed in raid on police station in Pakistan
Gunmen stormed through a police station in Karachi yesterday, killing five policemen and wounding another, after ordering them to recite Islamic verses.

Zawahiri Tape Taunts Pakistanis
A tape purportedly recorded by Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaida's second-in-command, yesterday urged Pakistanis to overthrow their government. Denouncing President Pervez Musharraf as a traitor, the voice said: "I call on Muslims in Pakistan to get rid of their government which is working for...

Pakistani Forces Corner 'high Value' Target
A "high value" target surrounded by Pakistani security forces could be the second most senior figure in the al-Qaida terrorist network, it was reported today. Ayman al-Zawahri, the organisation's chief strategist and Osama bin Laden's most trusted lieutenant, has been trapped by Pakistani...

Pakistan Tests New Missile
Pakistan yesterday tested a ballistic missile capable of launching nuclear strikes on every city in India. The announcement was made in a statement broadcast on TV news. Military analysts said the new missile dramatically extended the reach of Pakistan's missile system...

Pakistan Tests New Long-range Missile
Pakistan today announced it had test-fired a long-range, nuclear-capable missile that could reach targets deep in neighbouring India. "Pakistan today successfully carried out the maiden test fire of the Shaheen 2 surface-to-surface ballistic missile," a military statement said, without...

Nuclear Watchdog Presses Pakistan for Help
The UN's chief nuclear inspector, Mohammed ElBaradei, yesterday appealed to Pakistan for help in resolving suspicions about Iran's nuclear activities. But informed diplomats said that Pakistan, recently revealed to be at the centre of a vast nuclear trafficking network, was refusing to...

Pakistan May Make Nigeria a Nuclear Power
Pakistan yesterday offered to share military assistance, including 'nuclear power' with Nigeria, in defiance of President George Bush's new counter-proliferation initiative.

Shia Pilgrims Gunned Down
More than 40 Muslims die in Pakistan massacre.

City Life: James Astill in Lahore
As high as kites after a bash in Basant. My pals in Islamabad had been talking it up for weeks: the great kite-flying festival of Basant, based on a Hindu rite, but still celebrated in Pakistan's border city of Lahore. "Wait till Basant!" they said, "Then you'll see the real Pakistan."

Talks Raise Hopes of Peace for Kashmir
Pakistan and India make symbolic concessions. India and Pakistan raised new hopes of a historic peace accord yesterday when officials from the two countries met in Islamabad to discuss the terms for fresh negotiations.

Pakistan Sacks Nuclear Arms Row Scientist
Pakistan appeared to have tightened the noose around a nuclear scientist being investigated over sales of nuclear secrets to Iran and Libya at the weekend, dismissing him from government service. Officials said yesterday that seven suspects, including four scientists and three retired...

Pakistan's Nuclear Hero Throws Open Pandora's Box
Investigators have uncovered a sophisticated black market in components with Islamabad at its centre.

Peace in Their Sights
India and Pakistan may finally be acknowledging the intolerable cost of conflict, writes Randeep Ramesh.

After Half a Century, a Moment for Optimism
India and Pakistan have seized the initiative from the extremists. One acronym, but with two meanings, sums up the possible futures of the Indian subcontinent.

Kashmir Edges a Step Closer to Peace
Indian and Pakistani leaders break deadlock and announce talks over future of disputed Himalayan territory.

Talks to Reopen Kashmir Highway
Families divided between Indian and Pakistani Kashmir for more than half a century were offered the chance yesterday of being able to travel across the de facto border which splits the Himalayan territory. In a further sign of a possible rapprochment over the disputed territory, India...

Divided By War, Kashmir Pins Hopes on Summit
Randeep Ramesh in Udoosa, hears how families split by conflict yearn for reunion. Mohammed Khan yearns to visit his uncle, who left the hamlet of Udoosa in Indian Kashmir for Pakistan more than a decade ago.

12 Killed in Kashmir Despite Ceasefire
Violence flared again in the disputed territory of Kashmir today, leaving at least 12 dead despite the recent ceasefire declared between India and Pakistan. Soldiers held their fire for a second day on one of the world's most militarised frontiers. Indian security forces battled suspected...

Ally Demands Answers on Bungled Mi5 Spy Operation
Pakistan angry at official silence after bizarre high commission saga.

Deadly Diplomacy
Ariel Sharon's visit to Delhi this week shows how far India has shifted its allegiance in the face of terrorism. But how will Pakistan react?

45 Killed in Bombay Bomb Blasts
More than 45 people were killed and around 140 injured yesterday when two massive car bombs ripped into the heart of Bombay, India's financial capital, in a devastating attack likely to plunge relations between India and Pakistan into fresh turmoil. One bomb planted in a taxi went off...

Wish You Weren't Here
America just loves immigration - it's immigrants who aren't popular. As Muslims are now finding out. Ansar Mahmood wanted to give his family, back in Pakistan, an impression of his new life in Hudson, New York.

Pakistan Disqualifies Islamic Mp
Pakistani religious parties will hold protests today against an election tribunal ruling which barred one of their members from office on educational grounds. At least 60 other elected politicians from the religious parties are at risk of being barred too following the ruling that a...

Pakistan province to adopt sharia law
The ruling alliance in the North-West Frontier province of Pakistan began debating measures to enforce Islamic law yesterday.

More in Hope Than Expectation
Although a peace process of sorts has begun between India and Pakistan, the chances of resolving the Kashmir issue are still extremely small, writes Luke Harding.

Destiny and Devotion
In the wake of the war in Iraq, the religious right has gained new ground in Pakistan, both politically and culturally. Rory McCarthy reports on how Islamic militants are moving into the mainstream.

Pressure Piles Up on Reluctant Pakistan
The US and British governments were concentrating their diplomatic efforts on Islamabad last night, as Pakistan emerged as the most reluctant of the undecided UN security council members to sign up to a second resolution authorising war with Iraq. Diplomats said that while most of the...

Kashmir Has Not Gone Away
Relations between India and Pakistan have slumped again as General Musharraf shows off a missile capable of carrying warheads to New Delhi, writes Rory McCarthy.

Building for an Islamic Future
Pakistan's most powerful Islamists plan to construct a new city dedicated to learning under traditional Islamic law. Rory McCarthy reports from Lahore.

Education, Education, Education
Pakistan's most powerful Islamists plan to construct a new city dedicated to learning under strict Islamic law. Rory McCarthy reports from Lahore.

US Feels Heat in Pakistan's Tribal Hinterland
Resentment of American operations intensifies in border areas where al-Qaida members travel freely.

Pakistan Expels Indian Diplomats in Tit-for-tat Espionage Row
Relations between India and Pakistan worsened last night after Islamabad expelled three Indian diplomats and an official, accusing them of spying. The move came a day after India kicked out two diplomats and two officials from the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi, charging them with...

Pakistani Fury at Us Bombing of Border
Conservative Pakistani politicians condemned the United States yesterday after an exchange of fire on the Afghan border culminated in the US bombing of an abandoned religious school which local officials claim is in Pakistan. According to a US military report, the incident occurred on...

Arrests Follow Pakistan Church Killings
Several people have been arrested this morning in Pakistan after a grenade attack on a Christmas day church service yesterday killed three girls, one as young as six, and wounded 13 other people. The attack took place at a small Protestant church in Chianwala, about 40 miles north west...

Pakistan is Being Slowly Talibanised
Musharraf has handed over the border regions to al-Qaida allies. Akram Khan Durrani is not a politician likely to loom large on the world stage. But in his own pond, Mr Durrani is a very large fish.

Pakistani Parliament Elects New Prime Minister
Pakistan's parliament today chose Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, a moderate who has the support of the country's military leadership, as prime minister. Mr Jamali's election paved the way for the formation of a coalition government that is expected to continue the economic and foreign...

Islamist Parties Prepare to Share Power in Pakistan
Pakistan's largest political parties are this week expected to agree a new coalition government including hardline Islamist clerics, ending three years of military dictatorship. Religious parties which boast of their close links to Afghanistan's Taliban regime made surprising gains in the...

Pakistan Expects Reprisals After Virginia Execution
Pakistani police were on high alert yesterday after the execution in Virginia of a man whose ambush at CIA headquarters came to symbolise rising Muslim anger at the US. Mir Aimal Kansi, 38, the son of a prominent family from Quetta, western Pakistan, was killed by lethal injection on...

Commonwealth Rebuffs Pakistan
Commonwealth ministers decided in London yesterday to maintain a partial ban on Pakistan despite last month's elections. India and Australia, both members of the eight-member ministerial action group, strongly opposed Pakistan's return to full membership of the Commonwealth. The...

Pakistan Election Result Creates New Islamist Heartland
Anti-US parties take control in Afghan border area.

Boost for Religious Parties in Pakistan Elections
The first confirmed results from Pakistan's general election show swelling support for pro-Taliban religious parties in areas near the Afghan border. A group of six hardline parties, campaigning on an anti-American platform and calling for an end to Pakistan's support for the US-led war...

Three Killed in Pakistan Election Violence
Shootouts between political rivals today killed three people and marred the first general elections held in Pakistan since a military coup ended democratic rule three years ago. Nearly 100 political parties standing for the national parliament and four provincial legislatures attempted to...

'Western commentary needs to cool down. The state is nowhere near revolution'
It is only natural that most western journalists in Pakistan for today's elections are preoccupied with the power of Islamist movements and popular attitudes to the US.

Nine Killed in Kashmir Election Violence
Suspected Islamic militants unleashed a series of attacks today, killing at least nine people as polls opened for the third round of state elections in troubled Jammu-Kashmir state. Nine people were killed in a raid on a bus near the Pakistan border in Kashmir's Kathua district, while...

All the Tricks of the Trade
Lahore dispatch: Accusations of dirty deeds are flying thick and fast in the run up to the Pakistan election, writes Rory McCarthy.

Pakistan Hands '20th Hijacker' to Us
Ramzi Binalshibh the man now alleged by United States authorities to have been the 20th hijacker, has been taken into American custody. Binalshibh, the Yemeni who may be the one surviving member of the al-Qaida team that carried out the September 11 attacks, according to the FBI, was...

In Islamabad, a different kind of anniversary
Pakistan's national flag flew at half-mast across the country yesterday and prayers were said in memory of the death 54 years ago of the country's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, but few words were spoken about the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Centre.

Pakistanis face death sentence for gang rape
A special anti-terrorist court in Pakistan has sentenced six men to death by hanging for the gang rape of a woman ordered by a tribal council.

Eight Killed in Kashmir As Us Envoy Flies in
Islamist rebels shot dead eight Muslim villagers, including three women, in Indian Kashmir yesterday as a US envoy took his peace mission to Islamabad to try to cool tensions between India and Pakistan over the disputed region. The killings occurred during an election campaign for a new...

Call for Release of 'low-level' Guantanamo Inmates
Pakistan has demanded the release of 58 of its citizens from Guantanamo Bay, officials said yesterday, amid a growing number of reports that none of the 598 inmates being held without charge at the US Caribbean base are al-Qaida leaders. Washington has refused to identify the detainees,...

Nurses Die in Attack on Pakistani Mission
Grenade assault outside hospital chapel blamed on Islamist militants who killed six at Christian school

Pakistan Counts Cost As Afghans Head for Home
A year ago Pakistani businessmen in Peshawar were organising a campaign against Afghan businesses. Only now is it clear how important the refugees were to the economy, writes Rory McCarthy.

Four Killed in Grenade Attack Near Islamabad
At least three nurses were killed today at a Christian hospital near Islamabad in Pakistan when three assailants hurled grenades at people leaving a church. One of the attackers also died in the assault. The attack happened about 7:45 am local time (01.45am GMT) on the grounds of the...

Six Shot Dead in Attack on Pakistani Mission School
Six people were killed when men burst into a Christian missionary school in Pakistan yesterday and opened fire on the staff. The victims included four employees of the Murree school and a retired teacher who had arrived to collect his pension. At least two other people were injured, but...

Hindu Pilgrims Killed in Kashmir
Nine Hindu pilgrims were killed today and dozens injured in a gun and grenade attack in Indian controlled Kashmir. The incident has further heightened tensions between nuclear armed India and Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region. The pilgrims were attacked as they slept by suspected...

US closes Karachi consulate
The US has closed its consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi because of security threats, US officials confirmed today. Consulate staff were sent home this morning and told to wait for further instructions, according to a consulate official in Karachi, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sharif Steps Aside to Let 'brighter Brother' Stand for Presidency
Exiled Shahbaz has support in Pakistani army to return for October poll.

Suspects in ritual rape of Pakistani woman go on trial
Four men appeared in court in Pakistan yesterday accused of taking part in the gang rape of a young woman which had been ordered as punishment by a traditional tribal council.

Justice with a vengeance
While Pakistan tries to reinvent itself as a progressive and moderate country, it is struggling to get to grips with some of its most ancient - and brutal - tribal traditions, writes Rory McCarthy

Killers try to avoid the rope by offering their daughters
Pakistani girls given as child brides to pay off victims' relatives. Four convicted murderers due to hang in Pakistan tomorrow have tried to escape the gallows by giving their teenage and child daughters in marriage to elderly relatives of their victims.

Arms Row Clouds Straw Visit
MPs surprised at weapons sales to India and Pakistan.

MPs in Historic Call for Kashmir Peace
July 17: A record number of MPs have signed a petition calling on the governments of India and Pakistan to find a peaceful outcome to the dispute over Kashmir.

Massacre in Kashmir Slum Renews Fear of War
India and Pakistan descended again into hostile recriminations last night after suspected Islamic militants killed 27 Hindus in a Kashmir shanty town. The attack on the outskirts of Jammu was the most serious atrocity since the dangerous military standoff between the two countries raised...

Top Mountaineer Sparks Row Over Brother's Mystery Icestorm Death
Tragedy on Nanga Parbat in Pakistan comes back to haunt German climber.

Time to Hear Kashmir's Cry
These are the people whose fate is in play each time India and Pakistan square up along the line of control, writes Isabel Hilton.

Another Type of Nuclear Deterrent
Since Britain and America advised their nationals to leave India because of the risk of war with Pakistan, the tourism industry of Ladakh has found itself in deep trouble, writes Luke Harding.

Vajpayee: No Possibility of War With Pakistan
Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ruled out, in the strongest terms to date, a war with Pakistan, but expressed doubts about reports that his neighbour has vowed to permanently stop Islamic militants' incursions into Indian-controlled Kashmir. Although one million soldiers are...

Deadlock at the Top of the World
Despite the human cost, Indian and Pakistani troops remain locked in battle for Kashmir's frozen heights.

Kashmir Clashes Kill 16
Gun fights in several parts of Kashmir claimed 16 lives last night, as Indian security forces clashed with Muslim separatists and Pakistani troops. Ten people were killed and 12 injured after a sniper opened fire on a truck carrying 22 people in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir last night, a...

Consulate Bomb Kills 11 in Karachi
Suspected Islamist militants unleashed a brutal attack in Pakistan yesterday, sending a suicide bomber in a van laden with explosives into the US consulate in Karachi, killing 11 people. The blast, which happened shortly after 11am, tore through the perimeter wall and shattered cement...

Seven Killed in Karachi Explosion
A suspected car bomb today exploded close to the US consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, killing seven people and leaving at least 25 others injured. The blast blew a huge hole in the consulate's heavy concrete wall and burned at least 10 cars parked outside down to their...

Kashmir Tensions Easing, Straw Tells Mps
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, today told MPs there was cause for "some optimism" in the ongoing nuclear stand-off between India and Pakistan over the territory of Kashmir. In a special statement to the Commons, Mr Staw, who visited the region last month, told MPs that the "tension...

Here We Go Again in Kashmir
In the latest of his fortnightly online dispatches for Observer Worldview, Jason Burke arrives in Kashmir to cover yet another dangerous stand-off between India and Pakistan. Is there any way out of Groundhog Day South Asia-style?

Who's bluffing who?
Was the west exaggerating the threat of war between India and Pakistan or was New Delhi being complacent about where its "coercive diplomacy" could lead? The world's press couldn't agree.

US sees hope in Kashmir crisis
A senior US official sent to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan said last night that he believed the threat of war on the subcontinent was beginning to recede.

UK May Help to Patrol Line of Control
British troops could take part in a force to patrol the disputed line of control between Indian-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan, the defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, confirmed last night.

Why Small Scale War May Quickly Go Nuclear
A war over Kashmir is most likely to start with limited Indian strikes against Islamist militant bases in Pakistani-controlled territory, military analysts and intelligence sources said yesterday.

Richard Norton-Taylor and Luke Harding: Go now, Britons told as Kashmir war looms
Britain and the US urged their nationals to leave India and Pakistan yesterday as fear of a nuclear war over the disputed state of Kashmir grew.

Hugo Young: Hoon's talk of pre-emptive strikes could be catastrophic
The defence secretary's defiance makes nuclear war more likely. Before Jack Straw went to the subcontinent to lecture India and Pakistan on the consequences of nuclear war, he irritably brushed aside a pertinent question.

Chinese Leader Seeks Central Role in Defusing Conflict
China's president, Jiang Zemin, will meet the Indian and Pakistani leaders at the Asian summit in Almaty today as Beijing shows increasing concern over a conflict in which it cannot choose sides. The foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan said yesterday that Mr Jiang would urge President...

Nuclear neighbours teeter on brink of Armageddon
India and Pakistan could be just hours away from a fight feared by the entire planet.

Britain in War Zone Rescue Mission
· BA on standby to save trapped nationals
· Airport chaos as thousands try to flee
· Pakistan in bid to cool nuclear fears

Kashmir Rivals on Brink of War
International pressure fails to calm crisis as Pakistan deploys more troops at border and India refuses talks.

Pipe Dreams
May 31: As Pakistan and India appear on the brink of a devastating conflict, some on the subcontinent hope the prospect of billions of dollars in oil and gas revenues may yet hold them back from war, writes Rory McCarthy.

America Plans for Evacuation of 80,000
Plans for the possible evacuation of more than 60,000 US citizens in India and Pakistan in the event of hostilities between the two countries are being undertaken by US military personnel and embassies. The secretary of state, Colin Powell, is due to announce shortly whether non-essential...

Straw Hint on Kashmir Deal
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, yesterday struck an optimistic note at the end of his two-day trip to India and Pakistan and said that though the situation remained dangerous a war on the subcontinent was "not inevitable". Speaking after a meeting with India's prime minister, Atal...

Straw Arrives on Kashmir Peace Mission
The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has arrived in Islamabad on the first leg of his mission to prevent Pakistan and India going to war over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Mr Straw's visit comes as Pakistan continues to test short-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads...

Nuclear war could kill 12 million, says US estimate
Twelve million people could die in the first day of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, and many more would die from the fallout according to a US intelligence estimate reported yesterday.

British Journalist to Be Freed By Pakistan
Pakistan's intelligence agencies were today expected to release a British journalist who has been held for more than two weeks on suspicion of spying for India. Amardeep Bassey, 29, a reporter on the Sunday Mercury in Birmingham, was held as he crossed the border from Afghanistan into...

Cook considers arms sale suspension
Robin Cook, the leader of the Commons, yesterday suggested that the government is poised to block the sale to India of 60 Hawk jets, worth £1bn, as part of international efforts to defuse the crisis with Pakistan over Kashmir.

Rivals compete in deadly race to step up nuclear arms production
International nuclear experts believe technicians in India and Pakistan are stepping up the production of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium as the threat of serious conflict over the disputed mountains of Kashmir intensifies.

Pakistan's missile test stacks odds against Kashmir peace
Luke Harding in Srinagar and Jason Burke report on how mistrust and confusion have turned Kashmir's bitter border dispute into a crisis that threatens millions.

Frantic Bid to Avert Nuclear Conflict
World leaders yesterday mounted a frantic last-ditch diplomatic effort to defuse the conflict between Pakistan and India and avert the threat of nuclear war in south Asia. As Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, prepared to fly to the region, the presidents of America and Russia made an...

Pakistan's Isi Playing Dangerous Game
Pakistani leader's attempt to rein in militants is met with defiance.

Release Nears for Jailed Uk Journalist
3pm: Amardeep Bassey, the British journalist held in Pakistan on allegations of spying, is likely to be released on Monday. By Jessica Hodgson.

Pakistan Primes Its People for War
Pakistan put its capital city on a war footing last night as tension with India in the disputed state of Kashmir increased. The military government called out civil defence volunteers and cancelled all leave for Islamabad officials. Food and fuel stocks will be monitored in...

Britons get ready to pull out of Pakistan
In the quiet lanes of Islamabad's diplomatic enclave, the compound around the British social club is fenced with thick barbed wire and patrolled by guards armed with Kalashnikovs.

Embassy Staff Ordered Out of Pakistan
The British government is drastically cutting the number of diplomats in Pakistan and warning thousands of British citizens to leave after suicide bomb threats from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network or one of the Pakistan-based groups allied to it. Diplomats, aid workers and other...

British Diplomats to Pull Out of Pakistan
· 150 diplomatic staff to leave
· Bomb threats to British embassy
· Visa operations for Pakistan suspended

Jack Straw sent in amid fears of nuclear crisis
Britain, the US and the EU are to send envoys to India and Pakistan over the next week amid fears that the Indian-Pakistani tension over Kashmir is about to spill over into war.

Fear of Nuclear War Over Kashmir
· "Real and very disturbing" possibility of nuclear war between India and Pakistan
· Jack Straw flies out next week

British Journalist Faces Further Questioning in Pakistan
11am: The British High Commission is to visit the Sunday Mercury reporter held in a Pakistan jail on allegations of spying, writes Claire Cozens.

Death By Design
The killing of Pakistan's most wanted terrorist Riaz Basra was hailed a success by the government but questions have been asked about the case, writes Rory McCarthy.

Claim, Counter-claim and Half Fact in Bloodied Kashmir
India and Pakistan are contemplating a "limited" war after Tuesday's carnage at the Ratnuchak army camp near the town of Jammu. But who were the gunmen and what did they hope to achieve, asks Luke Harding.

Reporter Held at Pakistan Border
9.30am: A British journalist has been arrested in Pakistan after crossing the border into Afghanistan without valid documents, writes Jessica Hodgson.

US Tops Aid League
A $600m financial package to shore up the Pakistan government, a key ally in America's war on terror, pushed the US ahead of Japan as the world's biggest aid donor last year. America spent nearly $11bn (£7.75bn) on overseas assistance in 2001, according to the Organisation for...

US Envoy in Talks to Avert Kashmir War
The White House is sending a top official to India and Pakistan for urgent talks because of renewed fears that the nuclear powers are preparing to go to war over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Intelligence reports circulating in London and Washington warn that the neighbours, who...

US Infuriated By Pakistan's Go-slow War
The first splits in America's alliance with Pakistan in the war against al-Qaida began to emerge last night as officials in Washington complained about the slow pace of military operations in Pakistan's sensitive tribal areas. US intelligence analysts believe several hundred al-Qaida...

Zafran Bibi was raped, but a Pakistan judge decided it was adultery - now this young mother will be stoned to death
Rory McCarthy in Kohat, North West Frontier, reports on an extraordinary judgment in a country where Islamic code collides with secular law.

Rory McCarthy: Raped Pakistani Mother to Be Stoned to Death
Rory McCarthy in Kohat, North West Frontier, reports on an extraordinary judgment in a country where Islamic code collides with secular law.

Pakistani Clerics Threaten Us Troops
Islamist clerics in Pakistan's tribal areas have threatened to attack American troops who are mounting secret raids to track down senior al-Qaida commanders.

Satiyesh Manoharajah: Vote, vote, vote for the General
How the world saw it: It was 'vote early, vote often' in Pakistan, while the west caught a glimpse of China's coming man. Plus those exclusive Deep Throat revelations in full, in Satiyesh Manoharajah's review of the week in the world press.

US soldiers fired on in Pakistan
American troops hunting fighters loyal to Osama bin Laden who have fled into Pakistan from Afghanistan came under rocket attack early yesterday, the first time US soldiers have been targeted inside the country.

Bomb Kills 12 in Pakistan Mosque
A bomb tore through a Shia mosque in Pakistan killing 12 women and children on Thursday in the latest indication of a new upsurge in sectarian violence. The bomb was planted in the women's section of a Shia mosque in Bhakkar, Punjab province, and exploded as thousands gathered for an...

Pakistan Bomb Kills 12
Twelve women and children have been killed by a bomb blast during a gathering of thousands of Muslims at a mosque in Pakistan. A further 23 people were injured by the device, which exploded at a mosque in the town of Bhakkar in the eastern Punjab region of the country, 300 miles...

Our Long-term Enemy
In Pakistan, the west is going to have to choose between democracy and its pet dictator.

Pakistan to help US at Camp X-Ray
A team of Pakistani intelligence officers will leave soon for Cuba to help US authorities interrogate prisoners held at the American naval base at Guantanamo Bay, government officials said yesterday.

Pakistan frees 1,300 hardliners
Pakistan's military regime has set free several leading Islamist clerics and at least 1,300 of their supporters who were arrested during a wave of pro-Taliban street protests after September 11.

Pakistan Sounds Border Warning
US incursions into Pakistan in pursuit of al-Qaida and Taliban fighters could provoke resistance from Pashtun tribesmen, who have traditionally had good relations with both groups, Pakistani officials said. The commander of US forces in Afghanistan, Major-General Franklin Hagenbeck, said...

Church Raid May Have Been Suicide Attack
Pakistani investigators were last night trying to establish whether the attacker who hurled grenades into a crowded Protestant church on Sunday, killing five people, also blew himself up. Officials have been unable to identify the body of the fifth victim, which they say is mutilated...

Pakistan Church Blast Kills Five
Pakistan was in fresh turmoil last night after suspected Islamist militants opposed to the country's pro-American ruler General Pervez Musharraf hurled grenades into a crowded Protestant church, killing five people, including a worker at the US embassy and her teenage daughter. In what...

Pakistan Refuses to Hand Over Pearl Suspect
10am: Pakistan is refusing to hand over the key suspect in the kidnapping of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl to US authorities until its own investigations are complete. By Owen Gibson.

Pakistani intelligence and Americans 'abduct' Briton
Case part of trend in casual detention, say lawyers. Fresh fears about the circumstances in which alleged terror suspects are being detained by US authorities have emerged after Pakistani intelligence was accused last night of working with Americans to kidnap a British man, bundling him into the boot of a car and smuggling him to Afghanistan.

US Releases Video of Pearl's Final Hour
More details about the final hours of the US journalist Daniel Pearl emerged yesterday, including statements he made about his Jewish background and apparent expressions of sympathy for the detainees in Cuba. A video made by his kidnappers was passed to US officials in Pakistan last week...

Journalist's Killing 'link to Pakistan Intelligence'
This weekend it is becoming clear that Pearl's brutal murder - recorded in a three-minute 50-second segment of digital video - was not merely a vicious act of terrorism, but was linked to a shadowy political powerplay.

Pakistan Vows to Hunt Down Pearl's Killers
Pakistan's military regime last night promised an all-out manhunt to trace the Islamic militants who kidnapped the American journalist Daniel Pearl and slit his throat on camera. President Pervez Musharraf called the killing "a barbaric murder" which "defamed the whole religion of Islam", and swore...

Pakistan Vows to Catch Pearl's Killers
10am update: Pakistan's president has ordered security forces to apprehend 'each and every one' of the terrorists involved in the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, whose death was confirmed yesterday. By Jessica Hodgson.

Pakistani Police Arrest Pearl Suspect
5pm: A Muslim cleric identified as a prime suspect in the abduction of a WSJ reporter is in police custody. By Jessica Hodgson.

Hundreds arrested in Pakistani crackdown
Police in Pakistan arrested more than 600 people yesterday and raided homes and offices linked to five militant groups banned by General Pervez Musharraf in a new crackdown on extremists. President Musharraf seemed to be unchallenged after a rare and aggressive speech in which he mocked...

US plane crashes in Pakistan
A United States plane with seven marines on board crashed into a mountain in Pakistan yesterday. The incident took place about 120 miles south of Quetta and there were reports that the plane was on fire before the crash. The aircraft was not believed to have been shot down, or...

Standoff in Kashmir threatens landmine ban
Campaigners seeking a worldwide ban on anti-personnel landmines claim to have achieved significant successes since the creation of the watershed land mine treaty in 1997. But the dramatically extended mining of the India-Pakistan border reported today, the recent use of cluster bombs by...

The Kashmir crisis
There are a number of possible explanations for the diplomatic offence that George Bush has given to Pakistan by the unfortunate use of the term "Paki". It is possible that the president cannot manage more than two syllables without careful coaching. It is possible that he was unaware that the...

Darling, you were unelectable
There has been so much news of major international import over the last few days - India and Pakistan on the brink of war, arms seizures in the Middle East, al-Qaida fighters captured, Leeds United beaten by Cardiff - that news that the presidential election is now to be rerun after all may well...

Pentagon to pursue fighters into Pakistan
Pakistan's government has agreed that American troops may cross into the country in pursuit of fugitive al-Qaida and Taliban fighters, the US commander of the war in Afghanistan said yesterday. Until now American forces have relied on Pakistani soldiers on the border to arrest suspects...