Pakistan gunmen kill Shia Muslims

30 July 2011 Last updated at 11:26 GMT The van was sprayed with bullets Gunmen opened fire on a van in the city of Quetta, south-west Pakistan, killing 11 Shia Muslims in a suspected sectarian attack, police say.

Seven people were killed on the spot and four others died en route to hospital. One woman was among the dead.

The attack comes a day after gunmen killed seven Shia pilgrims at a bus stop in the city centre.

Angered by the attacks, locals from the Shia community burnt cars and offices in Quetta, capital of Balochistan.

Correspondents say the attack will add to the growing sense of insecurity among Pakistan's minority Shia community.

Brazen attack The killing sparked protests by Shia residents

The group was travelling in a packed passenger van near the outskirts of Quetta when gunmen sprayed it with bullets.

"Unidentified gunmen riding [a motorbike] opened fire at a Suzuki van carrying a group of people on their way to the main city from Hazara town," said Balochistan's police chief, Rao Amin Hashim.

The gunmen managed to escape.

There has been a notable increase in sectarian violence across Pakistan in recent years.

Islamist freed

The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Pakistan's deadliest militant group, has said it was behind Saturday's attack.

The group has strong ties to al-Qaeda and has carried out high profile attacks against US diplomats and Pakistan military targets in the country, the BBC's Shoaib Hasan reports from Karachi, on the border of Balochistan.

But its focus remains on the Shia community - which it regards as apostates, our correspondent says.

The attack comes soon after the release of Malik Ishaq, head of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, after a decade in jail.

When a local journalist asked him what he now intended to do, Ishaq's reply was chilling, our correspondent says. He said his organisation would continue its "good work" - fighting those who opposed their version of Islam.

Balochistan, on the border with Afghanistan, is also fighting a regional separatist insurgency as well as Islamic militancy.

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Pakistan spy chief makes US visit

13 July 2011 Last updated at 08:49 GMT Lt Gen Pasha's trip comes as tensions rise between Pakistan and the US Pakistan's intelligence chief Ahmad Shuja Pasha is due in Washington for talks, as relations between the countries continue to deteriorate.

The spy chief will "co-ordinate intelligence matters" during his one-day trip, Pakistan's military said.

On Monday Pakistan's defence minister said that troops may be withdrawn from the Afghan border, after the US announced a major cut to military aid.

Ties have been fraught since the US killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.

The al-Qaeda chief was killed when US Navy Seal commandos raided his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on 2 May.

Many in the US have questioned how the fugitive could have lived undetected for years in a Pakistani cantonment town so close to the capital.

But in the months leading up to the raid, tensions were already running high over the case of Raymond Davis, the CIA contractor who shot and killed two men in Lahore.

Many in Pakistan were demanding that he be tried for murder. He was eventually released after "blood money" was paid to the families of the victims.

Military cuts

This the intelligence chief's first visit to the US since the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

The army did not disclose the precise purpose of Mr Pasha's visit, but said he would be meeting American military and intelligence officials in Washington.

Continue reading the main story 2 May: US announces Bin Laden's death and says Pakistan not warned of raid14 May: Pakistan MPs demand review of US ties26 May: US announces withdrawal of some US troops at Pakistan's request27 May: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits to try to soothe relations2 June: Top US military chief Adm Mike Mullen admits "significant" cut in US troops in Pakistan10 June: CIA head Leon Panetta visits Pakistan; US admits "slow progress" in healing ties8 July: Adm Mullen says Pakistan sanctioned killing of a journalist; Pakistan angrily rejects this10 July: US suspends $800m of military aid12 July: Pakistan defence minister says troops could be withdrawn from Afghan border area because of cutsThe BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that it is believed he will raise the issue of military aid cuts and reassure Washington of Pakistan's resolve when it comes to fighting militants.

On Sunday the US said it would cut about $800m (?500m) of military aid to Pakistan, which equates to about a third of the annual US security aid to the country. Pakistan has said it would use its own resources to continue operations against militants in the volatile north-west of the country.

But analysts say that US aid cuts will create financial pressure on the military and force it to appropriate government funds allocated for non-military projects.

And on Monday Pakistani Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar said that his country could withdraw troops from the Afghan border in response to the cut.

Mr Mukhtar said Pakistan "cannot afford" to keep troops in the remote region without the financial support.

Our correspondent says that while the defence minister's statement worsens the ongoing row between the US and Pakistan, there is no real likelihood of the army being pulled out.

In addition the US has persisted with drone strikes in north-west Pakistan despite protests by Islamabad.

At least 48 people have been killed so far this week in four separate strikes across North and South Waziristan.

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Pakistan drone attacks 'kill 30'

12 July 2011 Last updated at 15:58 GMT Three drone attacks have killed at least 30 people in less than 24 hours in a volatile tribal region of north-western Pakistan, officials say.

At least 13 people died in a missile strike on a house on the North-South Waziristan border. Earlier, missiles killed 10 people in South Waziristan.

On Monday night, officials said seven died when a drone targeted a vehicle in the Gorwick area of North Waziristan.

The US says the region is home to al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents.

It says militants who have found sanctuary in these areas are involved in attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan. North and South Waziristan are regularly targeted by drone missiles.

Reports say the death toll could be even higher.

The attacks come shortly after the US announced a substantial cut of $800m (?500m) in US military aid to Pakistan. Pakistan's army spokesman said the cut would not affect its ability to combat terror groups.

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar responded by saying Pakistan could pull its troops back from the Afghan border region "if things become difficult" without the US aid.

"We cannot afford to keep the military out in the mountains for such a long period," he told Express 24/7 television.

'Strikes condoned'

Drone attacks have escalated in the region since President Barack Obama took office in 2008. More than 100 raids were reported in the area last year.

The US does not routinely confirm that it has launched drone operations, but analysts say only American forces have the capacity to deploy such aircraft in the region.

Pakistan publicly criticises drone attacks, saying they fuel support for militants. But observers say the authorities privately condone the strikes, although there have been recent signs that they want to limit the scope of such attacks.

A number of militants, some of them senior, have been killed in the raids, but many civilians have also died.

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Pakistan in Afghan border threat

12 July 2011 Last updated at 15:46 GMT Pakistan is a vital ally for the US, but ties have deteriorated Pakistan's defence minister has said the country could withdraw troops from the Afghan border in response to a US cut in military aid.

Ahmed Mukhtar said Pakistan "cannot afford" to keep troops in the remote region without the financial support.

The US has said it is cutting $800m (?500m) in aid over "difficulties" in its relationship with Pakistan.

On Monday, Pakistan said the cuts would not affect is operations against al-Qaeda and other militant groups.

The money is about a third of the total annual US military aid Islamabad receives. Much of the aid is intended to reimburse Pakistan for deploying troops along the Afghan border, where militants seek sanctuary.

"If at all things become difficult, we will just get all our forces back," Mr Mukhtar told Express 24/7 television in an interview to be aired on Tuesday night.

"If Americans refuse to give us money, then okay. I think the next step is that the government or the armed forces will be moving from the border areas.

"We cannot afford to keep military out in the mountains for such a long period."

Public anger

The BBC's Ilyas Khan in Islamabad said that while the defence minister's statement does worsen the ongoing row between the US and Pakistan, there is no likelihood of the army being pulled out.

Pakistan is currently engaged in two major military operations in Mohmand and Kurram, and recently reasserted its commitment to combating terror groups in the region.

Continue reading the main story 2 May: US announces Bin Laden's death and says Pakistan not warned of raid14 May: Pakistan MPs demand review of US ties26 May: US announces withdrawal of some US troops at Pakistan's request27 May: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits to try to soothe relations2 June: Top US military chief Adm Mike Mullen admits "significant" cut in US troops in Pakistan10 June: CIA head Leon Panetta visits Pakistan; US admits "slow progress" in healing ties8 July: Adm Mullen says Pakistan sanctioned killing of a journalist; Pakistan angrily rejects this10 July: US suspends $800m of military aidIf the army were to withdraw, it would create a security vacuum in the border region and would complicate US plans to gradually withdraw troops from Afghanistan, our correspondent adds.

Pakistan is a vital ally for the US, but ties have deteriorated following the killing of Osama Bin Laden in May.

Islamabad is angry that it was not told about the US raid in advance, while the US has questioned how Bin Laden was able to live undetected in a major garrison town.

There is also growing public anger in Pakistan over the US use of drone attacks on suspected militant targets, which often cost civilian lives.

Pakistan recently expelled more than 100 US military trainers and has threatened to shut down a CIA base.

On Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said the US was holding back "some of the money that the American taxpayers have committed to give" until the two countries had worked their way through "difficulties" in their relationship.

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Pakistan rejects US murder claims

8 July 2011 Last updated at 11:10 GMT Saleem Shahzad had complained of ISI threats Pakistan has reacted angrily to the US army's top officer's suggestion that the government "sanctioned" the killing of journalist Saleem Shahzad.

Information minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that Adm Mike Mullen's statement was "extremely irresponsible and regrettable."

She said it would cause difficulties in relations between the sides and prove a setback to the war against terror.

US-Pakistan relations have been extremely fraught in recent months.

But Adm Mike Mullen's remarks are the most explicit yet in a downward spiral in recent US-Pakistan relations.

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says that for a senior American official to say that he believes the authorities were involved heaps further pressure on Islamabad at a time when the Pakistani government's relationship with Washington - on which it has become so reliant for support - is under serious strain.

Mr Shahzad was kidnapped near his home in Islamabad in May. His body was found two days later in Punjab province. At the time, many in the Pakistani media blamed Pakistan's powerful military intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), for the murder. The ISI has denied involvement in the case.

Adm Mullen said he could not confirm if the the ISI was involved.

"I have not seen anything that would disabuse that report that the government knew about this," Adm Mullen told journalists in Washington on Thursday.

"It was sanctioned by the government, yeah," he said.

Adm Mullen added that he did not have a "string of evidence" linking the death to the ISI.

Downward spiral

Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, said an independent inquiry was evidence that the government was taking the journalist's killing seriously. The government-appointed commission to investigate the killing began work last month.

Continue reading the main story M Ilyas Khan BBC News, Islamabad

Adm Mullen's latest salvo is being interpreted here as an attempt by the US to keep pressure on the Pakistani security establishment at a time when the latter is engaged in a vigorous PR campaign to project a softer image of the military.

US-Pakistan relations visibly deteriorated with the Raymond Davis affair in March, when a CIA agent shot and killed two Pakistani men. Two months later, US special forces killed Osama Bin Laden on Pakistani territory.

In subsequent weeks, there have been high-profile visits by US officials to Pakistan, creating an impression that both sides are determined to move on from their mutual troubles.

But Mr Mullen's statement indicates that differences between the two countries not only persist, they are becoming serious enough to warrant public accusation by a high-ranking US official that Pakistani government "sanctioned" the murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad.

"Any evidence that our American friends have should be shared with that commission," Mr Haqqani told the New York Times newspaper.

"We are as interested in getting to the bottom of this matter as anyone else in the world, given our concern about human rights," he said.

Tension between the US and Pakistan hit a new low after the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden by US commandos in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.

Last month, Adm Mullen publicly acknowledged that there would be substantial cuts to US military numbers in Pakistan.

He said that US-Pakistan ties needed time to heal but added that it would be dangerous to abandon Islamabad.

"I think the worst thing we could do would be cut them off," he said. If that happened, he said, "10 years from now, 20 years from now, we go back and it's much more intense and it's much more dangerous."

Correspondents say that during his tenure, Adm Mullen has been a forceful advocate for maintaining dialogue with Pakistan and with its military establishment.

He was said to be close to the Pakistani army's chief of staff, Gen Ashfaq Kayani. Indeed, Adm Mullen is thought to have made more visits to Pakistan than any other senior US official or chief of staff in recent times. But, correspondents say, the latest comments are yet more evidence of his patience wearing thin.

He steps down as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff later this year.

Journalist 'danger' Continue reading the main story On 22 May a deadly 15-hour siege on Pakistan's Mehran naval airbase in Karachi left 16 deadOn 27 May Saleem Shahzad published a piece about al-Qaeda infiltration in Pakistan's navy A number of journalists have speculated that the attackers may have had inside helpAn ex-naval commando was arrested in connection with the attacks on 30 MayMr Shahzad, who worked for the Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online and the Italian news agency Adnkronos International, had made a career writing about various Islamist militant networks operating in Pakistan.

Shortly before his death he had written an article about al-Qaeda infiltration in Pakistan's navy.

He reported that the militant group was behind a recent deadly assault on the Mehran base in Karachi because talks had failed over the release of several naval personnel arrested on suspicion of links to al-Qaeda affiliates.

Human rights groups have called Pakistan the most dangerous place in the world for journalists to operate, saying they were under threat from Islamist militants but also Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies.

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Bin Laden family 'must stay in Pakistan'

6 July 2011 Last updated at 10:48 GMT Bin Laden was top of the US "most wanted" list A Pakistani commission investigating the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden has said the government should not allow his family to leave the country.

Three of Bin Laden's wives and several children were detained after the 2 May raid on a compound near Islamabad.

The commission is investigating how the al-Qaeda leader hid in the Abbottabad compound for nearly five years. It held its first meeting on Tuesday.

It is not clear whether the authorities will heed the commission's demand.

Bin Laden, 54, orchestrated the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in which nearly 3,000 people died.

He evaded the forces of the US and its allies for almost a decade, despite a $25m (?15m) bounty on his head.

Infuriated

The family are said to have provided vital information about the al-Qaeda leader's activities and are among the main witnesses of the covert US operation that killed him.

Officials say that Bin Laden's presence for so long in Abbottabad was an embarrassment

The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani says that their testimony is considered crucial for the commission's efforts to investigate Bin Laden's presence in Pakistan and the circumstances surrounding the US raid.

The commission, headed by a senior judge of the Supreme Court, has ordered the interior ministry and the main intelligence agency, the ISI, to make sure that Bin Laden's family does not leave the country without its permission.

Our correspondent says that the US raid infuriated many Pakistanis and prompted suspicions that the al-Qaeda leader could not have been hiding in Abbottabad for nearly five years without the knowledge of the country's armed forces.

Pakistani officials have since called it one of their biggest intelligence failures.

Many in Pakistan are now hoping that the commission - whose meetings are not open to the public - will come up with some real answers.

A statement issued by the commission promised a thorough investigation and said it would summon senior civilian and military leaders to attend proceedings if necessary.

"Their identity will be kept confidential and they will also be legally protected," Associated Press quoted the statement as saying.

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Swiss couple seized in Pakistan

2 July 2011 Last updated at 18:46 GMT A Swiss couple have been kidnapped in south-western Pakistan, the Swiss foreign ministry says.

It said Pakistan's officials had notified Swiss diplomats about Friday's abduction in Balochistan.

The pair were travelling by car when they were seized by gunmen in the Lorali district, some 150km (90 miles) north of Quetta, Islamabad said.

Pakistan has now launched a search operation and requested help from tribal leaders in the volatile region.

The kidnapping was the first such incident involving Swiss nationals in Pakistan, the Swiss foreign ministry said.

The pair's identities have not been disclosed.

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Pakistan probes reporter's death

27 June 2011 Last updated at 17:27 GMT Saleem Shahzad had complained of ISI threats An inquiry constituted by the Pakistani government to investigate the murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad has started work, officials say.

An inquiry member told the BBC that Monday's sitting decided on its modalities and its time-frame.

Mr Shahzad was kidnapped from near his residence in Islamabad last month. His body was found in nearby Punjab province a day after the abduction.

The hearings will not be open to public or the media, officials say.

But in a recent ruling, Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry advised the government to make the findings of the inquiry public.

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says the government ordered the inquiry after much foot-dragging and noisy agitation by journalists.

Many in the media have pointed fingers at the ISI intelligence service for Mr Shahzad's murder, but the ISI denies any involvement.

Hearings will be held behind closed doors because the inquiry is likely to handle "sensitive" information, officials say.

The government has ordered a number of inquiries into cases of rights abuses, murders and military failures, but their findings have seldom been made public.

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Pakistan in Afghan rocket denial

27 June 2011 Last updated at 15:46 GMT The Pakistani army has rejected claims made by Afghanistan that it has fired more than 450 rockets into Afghan territory over the past three weeks.

But a spokesman told the BBC a "few accidental rounds" may have landed in Afghanistan as the army battles Taliban militants entrenched in the area.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said rockets had killed 36 people.

Meanwhile officials in north-western Pakistan say they are setting up camps for about 15,000 internal refugees.

They are expected to be uprooted by an impending Pakistani military operation.

Afghan officials say hundreds have fled parts of Kunar and Nangarhar provinces.

Nato forces have significantly scaled back their presence along the Afghan-Pakistan border in these provinces and border officials say the Pakistani Taliban has moved into these unstable districts.

The rocket attacks are alleged to have begun in earnest about three weeks ago and Afghan officials claim Pakistani military shells have been landing in Afghan villages along the border.

Improving relations

President Karzai met the Pakistani army chief of staff on Monday to discuss the issue at the presidential palace.

Afghanistan previously warned that it will retaliate if the attacks continue

Afghan officials say that the president voiced "great concern" about the issue and asked for it to stop immediately. They also said Pakistan's army chief assured them that an investigation would soon be launched into the incidents although that has not been confirmed by officials in Islamabad.

President Karzai also raised the issue of rocket attacks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at a regional anti-terrorism conference in Tehran on Saturday.

President Karzai has been criticised for not pursuing an aggressive enough line with Pakistan, the BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul says.

Over the last year relations between the countries have become more cordial not least, our correspondent says, because Kabul considers Pakistan crucial to any future role for the Taliban in Afghan government.

On Sunday night at least 35 shells were fired into the Sarkano district of Kunar province, the commander of Afghanistan's border police forces told our correspondent in Kabul.

"We have seized shrapnel from the area. People have got killed, houses have been destroyed and in the last 24 houses our forests have caught fire as a result of the shelling," General Aminullah Amarkhel said.

Exodus expected

But Pakistan's military spokesman said that it was simply "not true" to say that rounds had been intentionally fired into Afghanistan.

He said that in the last month hundreds of insurgents crossed into Pakistan and attacked border posts, killing more than 100 security personnel.

The dispute comes as Pakistani military jets pounded suspected militant positions in the central Kurram region.

Hundreds of people have already fled the area after several days of air strikes. Officials say that they expect a larger exodus once the ground offensive in the area begins.

Kurram holds a large concentration of militants fleeing another military operation in Orakzai and an expected operation in North Waziristan.

"We have been asked to make preparations for 1,500 families who are expected to be displaced across an 80 square kilometre area of central Kurram region which will be the target of the ground offensive," Haseeb Salarzai, an official of the Fata (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) Disaster Management Authority, told BBC.

Pakistani officials have conceded that in their battle with the militants it was possible that a few stray rounds crossed the border.

In recent weeks, Islamabad has complained of a number of cross-border militant attacks in Pakistan's north-west and has lodged official protests with Kabul over the incursions.

In the latest attack on 16 June more than 200 militants are said to have stormed a Pakistani village near the Afghan border.

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Pakistan drone attacks 'kill 15'

28 June 2011 Last updated at 08:13 GMT Two US drone missile attacks have killed at least 15 people in the Pakistani tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials say.

Twelve people were killed when a drone fired two missiles at a compound used by suspected militants in North Waziristan on Monday night, they added.

Earlier on Monday, another drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in North Waziristan, killing three people.

North Waziristan has been targeted by drone strikes for months.

The US says the region is home to several militant groups involved in attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan.

On Monday night, drone missiles targeted a compound at the foot of a hill in the thickly-forested Mantoi area, some 40km (24 miles) north-west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan.

The compound was being used by local militants affiliated with Hakimullah Mehsud's Tehrik-e Taliban group, officials said.

Earlier, three people were killed and two others injured when a drone fired two missiles at a vehicle which was travelling into Afghanistan in the Shawal region of North Waziristan.

Wazir tribespeople inhabit both sides of the border here and frequently move across the border.

But officials told BBC that those killed in the strike were militants. It is not clear which group they belonged to.

Drone attacks have focused on North and South Waziristan, where US officials believe many al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters find shelter.

Pakistan publicly criticises drone attacks, saying they fuel support for militants. But observers say the authorities privately condone the strikes.

The American military does not routinely confirm drone operations, but analysts say the US is the only force capable of deploying such aircraft in the region.

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Four Pakistan majors interrogated

22 June 2011 Last updated at 14:48 GMT Pakistan's army has been accused of harbouring extremists for years Four majors in the Pakistani army are being investigated for alleged links with banned extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, the army has said.

Army spokesman Gen Athar Abbas told the BBC the men were not under arrest but were being interrogated in connection with the case of Brig Ali Khan.

He was detained last month and is also accused of links to Hizb ut-Tahrir.

The army says it will not tolerate support for extremism within its ranks. Brig Khan's family say he is innocent.

The brigadier's lawyer and colleagues have told the BBC he is being victimised for criticising army top brass for their support for the US-led "war on terror".

'Incites hatred'

The brigadier is now being interrogated by military intelligence, the army says.

He is one of the most senior serving officers accused of links with extremists in Pakistan in recent years.

"He is under detention and an investigation is in progress for his contacts with a proscribed militant organisation," military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told BBC Urdu's Asif Farooqi on Tuesday.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is a global Islamist group that wants to revive the Islamic caliphate and unify Muslim countries under Islamic laws. It describes itself as a peaceful political organisation - but its critics say it incites hatred and violence.

The group is active in Western countries, but the Pakistan chapter of the organisation is not particularly prominent, correspondents say.

Pakistan's army has long faced accusations that it harbours extremist sympathisers within its ranks, and some analysts say the detention could be an attempt to persuade critics that these concerns are being acted on.

'Brilliant' record

A senior military officer, who wished to remain unnamed, told our correspondent that senior officers were both surprised and "disturbed" when a secret report was presented to them about the "inappropriate" activities of the brigadier.

Brig Khan has a long and distinguished record

The officer comes from a family with three generations of military service.

Brig Ali's father was a junior commissioned officer, and his younger brother is a colonel serving in the intelligence service. His son and son-in-law are both army captains.

Brig Khan's wife, Anjum, called the allegations against him "rubbish".

The brigadier's family say he disappeared on 6 May.

A day earlier he had openly criticised military chiefs at an internal meeting following the US raid that killed Bin Laden, his lawyer told BBC Urdu.

This is not the first time allegations have been made about links between elements in Pakistan's military and banned organisations.

At least two army officers were court martialled last year for links with Hizb ut-Tahrir.

In 2004 several low-ranking military personnel were convicted in connection with attempts on the life of former President Pervez Musharraf.

Last week, Pakistan's military denied that a major was among several people who had been detained following the killing of Bin Laden. They were accused of being CIA informants and passing on information that helped the US track down the al-Qaeda leader.

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Militants killed in Pakistan raid

22 June 2011 Last updated at 06:32 GMT At least five militants were killed when insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in north-west Pakistan.

The attack took place at the Sarband checkpoint near Peshawar city and involved more than 50 militants.

An official told the BBC that they were tipped off about the attack and hence did not suffer any major casualties.

In another attack, a blast at a police checkpoint in Jamrud town in the Khyber tribal area killed a policeman and wounded three others, officials said.

The number of attacks by militants in Pakistan has risen sharply since al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed in a US commando raid last month.

At least 34 people were killed and 90 wounded after two explosions ripped through a market in the city of Peshawar about 10 days ago.

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Pakistan holds officer 'for militant links'

21 June 2011 Last updated at 12:29 GMT Pakistan's army has been accused of links with militants for years A senior officer serving in Pakistan's army has been detained for alleged contacts with a banned militant group.

Pakistan's military spokesman confirmed to the BBC that Brigadier Ali Khan was being interrogated by the country's military intelligence unit.

Pakistan has banned a number of groups in recent years for supporting militancy and encouraging extremism.

Brig Ali, who is based at military headquarters, was held last month and his family told he would be home soon.

"Yes, that's correct that he is under detention and an investigation is in progress for his contacts with a proscribed organisation," Maj Gen Athar Abbas told BBC Urdu's Asif Farooqi.

He did not provide any more details about the nature of the alleged contact or the organisation the brigadier is accused of being in touch with.

"Any more details at this point in time may affect our investigation process," Gen Abbas said.

'Brilliant' record

A senior military officer, who wished to remain unnamed, told our correspondent that senior officers were both surprised and "disturbed" when a secret report was presented to them about the "inappropriate" activities of the brigadier.

The officer is known to have a "brilliant" service record and comes from a family with three generations of military service.

Brig Ali's father was a junior commissioned officer, his younger brother is a colonel serving in the intelligence service. His son and son-in-law are both army captains.

A military source told our correspondent that Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Pakistan's army chief, had asked for a briefing about the brigadier and after being satisfied about the weight of the "evidence", ordered the arrest himself.

This is not the first time allegations have been made about links between elements in Pakistan's military and banned organisations, including militant groups.

At least two army officers were court martialled last year for links with the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir group.

In 2004 several low-ranking military personnel were convicted in connection with attempts on the life of former President Pervez Musharraf.

Last week, Pakistan's military denied that a major was among several people who had been detained accused of being CIA informants and passing on information which helped the US track down and kill al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

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Deadly US drone raid in Pakistan

15 June 2011 Last updated at 16:15 GMT Two US drone missile attacks have killed at least seven people in the Pakistani tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials say.

The first attack hit a car, killing four people near the town of Wana in South Waziristan, officials said.

They said a second strike, in neighbouring North Waziristan, struck another vehicle, killing three people.

The area is a militant stronghold. Hundreds of people have died in dozens of such attacks in recent months.

The media are denied access to the area and independent confirmation of who has been killed in such attacks is not possible.

Surge in attacks

North Waziristan has been targeted by drone strikes for months. The US says North Waziristan is home to several militant groups involved in attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan.

But many recent drone attacks have targeted South Waziristan - a leading al-Qaeda militant, Ilyas Kashmiri, was reported to have been killed there in a US strike earlier this month.

Militants have vowed to avenge Kashmiri's reported killing, as well as the killing by US forces of Osama Bin Laden last month.

United States officials do not routinely confirm that they have carried out drone attacks, but analysts say that only US forces have the capacity to carry out such strikes in the region.

Many militants, some of them senior, have been killed in the drone strikes, but hundreds of civilians have also died. The strikes are hugely unpopular among the Pakistani public.

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Pakistan

4 May 2011 Last updated at 09:07 GMT The Muslim-majority state of Pakistan occupies an area which was home to some of the earliest human settlements and where two of the world's major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, were practised.

The modern state was born out of the partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947 and has faced both domestic political upheavals and regional confrontations.

Created to meet the demands of Indian Muslims for their own homeland, Pakistan was originally in two parts.

The east wing - present-day Bangladesh - is on the Bay of Bengal bordering India and Burma. The west wing - present-day Pakistan - stretches from the Himalayas down to the Arabian Sea.

The break-up of the two wings came in 1971 when the mainly Bengali-speaking east wing seceded with help from India.

The disputed northern territory of Kashmir has been the flashpoint for two of the three India-Pakistan wars - those of 1947-8 and 1965. There was a further brief but bitter armed conflict after Islamic militants infiltrated Indian-administered Kashmir in 1999.

Military dominance

Civilian politics in Pakistan in the last few decades has been tarnished by corruption, inefficiency and confrontations between various institutions. Alternating periods of civilian and military rule have not helped to establish stability.

Pakistan came under military rule again in October 1999 after the ousting of a civilian government that had lost a great deal of public support.

The coup leader, General Pervez Musharraf, pledged to revive the country's fortunes, but faced economic challenges as well as an increasing polarisation between Islamist militancy and the modernising secular wing of Pakistani politics.

Under growing pressure to reintroduce democratic rule, Mr Musharraf relinquished his army post in November 2007, but at parliamentary elections in February 2008, his supporters were defeated by the opposition Pakistan People's Party and former PM Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League.

The two parties formed a coalition government and an impeachment process was launched against Mr Musharraf, who resigned in August 2008.

Border tensions and terror Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan, which won the 1992 World Cup

Pakistan's place on the world stage shifted after the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US. It dropped its support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and was propelled into the frontline in the fight against terrorism, becoming a key ally of Washington.

However, Pakistani forces have struggled to maintain control over the restive tribal regions along the Afghan border, where Taliban-linked militants became firmly entrenched.

Since 2009, the government has been waging a rolling military campaign to flush the militants out of the tribal areas.

Tensions with India over Kashmir have resurfaced regularly ever since the partition of the sub-continent, and the two nuclear-armed powers have on numerous occasions been on the brink of renewed conflict.

India has accused Pakistan of failing to cooperate adequately over the investigation into the November 2008 extremist attacks in Mumbai, and has halted talks on improving relations.

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Pakistan 'arrests CIA informants'

15 June 2011 Last updated at 10:38 GMT The raid on Bin Laden's compound has strained relations between the US and Pakistan Pakistan has arrested five alleged informants for the CIA who helped in the US raid that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in northern Pakistan in May, US media report.

Among those held by the intelligence agency, the ISI, was the owner of a safe house rented to the CIA to watch Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, the New York Times reported.

The raid strained US-Pakistan ties.

US President Barack Obama said "someone" was protecting Bin Laden.

Pakistan has denied knowing Bin Laden's whereabouts and denied the New York Times report, in particular its claim that an army major was among those arrested.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on a recent visit to Pakistan that there was "absolutely no evidence that anyone at the highest level of the Pakistani government" knew where Bin Laden was.

'Interrogated'

"No Pakistani soldier is under arrest, but we are interrogating several people whom we suspect of having been working for American intelligence services," Inter Services Public Relations spokesman Brigadier Azmat Abbas told the BBC.

He said that among those arrested were people "captured during a raid at a house located close to the Bin Laden compound".

"We suspect them of having been working for CIA," he said.

"Others being interrogated include people who used to visit the compound."

Brig Abbas said that two categories of people were among those arrested - those who threw flares into the Bin Laden compound to guide approaching US helicopters and those who helped the helicopters refuel within Pakistani territory.

In the wake of Bin Laden's death many American agents have been forced to leave Pakistan, while Pakistani officials and civilians suspected of helping the CIA may soon appear in court.

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says dozens of people have been arrested and released by the security agencies since the death of the al-Qaeda leader - and at least five of them have not yet been released.

Our correspondent says that the Pakistani authorities appear to be making every effort to unearth CIA informants while showing little interest in arresting Taliban and al-Qaeda sympathisers.

Soon after the killing on 2 May, witnesses told the BBC that two brothers - both cousins of Bin Laden's courier - were picked up from their village in the north-western Shangla district.

A member of the security forces was also picked up from the Ilyasi Masjid area near the Bin Laden compound in Abbottabad, according to witnesses. It is not known whether he belonged to the intelligence wing of the police or the army. He remains unaccounted for to date.

The contractor who built the Bin Laden compound, Noor Mohammad alias Gul Madah, a property dealer identified by witnesses as Kaleem, Bin Laden's neighbour Shamrez and his father Zain Mohammad were arrested in the weeks following the killing.

All of them - apart from Kaleem - were later released although they have subsequently gone missing, our correspondent adds.

It is not clear whether these men were among the alleged CIA informants arrested.

The New York Times said those held included a major believed to have logged the number plates of cars visiting Bin Laden's compound in the weeks before the raid.

The US has sharply reduced its troop presence in Pakistan at Islamabad's request.

Washington has provided Pakistan with billions of dollars of aid in recent years, much of it military assistance.

Islamabad has also been angered by US drone raids on tribal regions bordering Afghanistan in which civilians, as well as militants, have been killed.

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Pakistan woman is 'paraded naked'

14 June 2011 Last updated at 14:01 GMT By M Ilyas Khan BBC News, Islamabad The incident is rare in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - one of Pakistan's most conservative provinces Police in Pakistan say they have arrested two men for stripping a woman naked and parading her in a village.

One of the offenders had accused the woman's son of having illicit relations with his wife, the police said.

Public dishonouring of women is not uncommon in Pakistan and other parts of South Asia, but the incident is rare in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Police said villagers where the incident took place did not try to stop it because the offenders were armed.

Haripur district police chief Mohammad Ali Gandapur told the BBC that a resident of Nilor Bala village had complained to village elders that two men had had sexual relations with his wife.

According to the police, a village council advised the complainant to divorce his wife.

Instead, he and four armed men stormed the house belonging to the mother of one of the men alleged to have slept with his wife in order to kill her son.

Because the son was not there, the men dragged the mother out, stripped her and made her walk through the village, the police said.

They have now registered a case against seven people, but only two have been arrested so far. They say they are looking for other offenders.

Campaigners say achieving justice for women who are abused in Pakistan is difficult.

In 2002, Mukhtar Mai was gang-raped by members of a tribe in the village of Meerwala in Punjab province after her brother was accused of having sexual relations with a local woman.

Ms Mai launched legal proceedings against the alleged offenders. Six men were convicted but five were acquitted on appeal by the Pakistani Supreme Court in April.

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