Islamabad, Oct 11 : Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that Iran has agreed to provide his country with crude oil on deferred payment for three months.

He said this while addressing a joint press conference after talks with Iranian FM Manouchehr Mottaki, reported the Daily Times.

Qureshi said that under the Iranian law, crude oil could be imported on a deferred payment for a maximum of three months and Mottaki had said his government would consider extending the period.

The new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt said that if the security situation in the country doesn’t improve then the team may have to play home games at the neutral venues. 

In his first media briefing, Butt said, “The holding of the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan depends on the security condition of the country and if the current situation prevails further we may consider the option to play on alternate venues.” 

He further added that he will attend an ICC meeting next month and address the security issues. 

Islamabad, Oct 11 : Pakistan has opposed India’s trekking expedition at Siachen, saying it could undermine the ongoing peace process.

“India should desist from acts that cast shadow on the peace process,” the Dawn quoted the country’s Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq as saying at a weekly briefing.

The trekkers currently undergoing acclimatisation at the Siachen base camp will undertake a long trek from Oct 12 to 19 from the base camp to the Kumar post.

Washington, Oct 11 : In view of the increased violence along the Pak-Afghan border and the general changing situation in Afghanistan, the US strategy on Afghanistan must broaden its scope and include India in it, said Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

Mullen said the Pak-Afghan boarder region had become a “safe haven for insurgents”. “Things have changed enough to warrant a review of our overall strategy there, and in fact, part of the effort is to try to ensure better coordination on both sides of that border,” The News quoted him as saying.

Islamabad, Oct 11 : The US’ air strikes on Pakistani territory, launched with the idea of busting the Taliban hideouts, were actually destablising the country and helping the terrorists, instead of the US or Pakistan, said the country’s Foreign Office.

Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said that the US must realize the fact that the US’ missile attacks were helping the terrorists.