Islamabad  - Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday maintained the disqualification of former prime minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif from holding elected office because of his previous convictions, a move that could lead to political turmoil.

The court ruling also nullified the last year's election of his brother Shahbaz Sharif, the chief minister of country's most-populous and prosperous eastern province of Punjab.

Islamabad, Feb. 25: Pakistan has rejected claims that Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden has taken refuge inside its territory.

A member of the National Assembly (NA), Sajid Hussain Turi, referring to a report which claimed that Laden was most likely hiding in the town of Parachinar in Kurram Agency, said that it was impossible for Laden to seek refuge in an area dominated by an anti-militant population.

Islamabad - Four dancers arrested for misdemeanour offenses in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab had to entertain police for the whole night to secure bail the next day, a news report said on Tuesday.

The women were detained late Saturday night when they were performing at a matrimonial function in Fatehgarh area, the English-language Daily Times newspaper reported. Five drunken men were also taken into custody.

The dancers alleged that officials thrashed them for refusing to dance in the police station.

Islamabad  - Taliban militants announced Tuesday an open-ended ceasefire in Pakistan's volatile Swat district, where the government had promised to enforce sharia laws in return for peace.

The indefinite extension was made by the militants' top consultative council, or shura, which meets at an undisclosed location in Swat's Matta area.

"We are ready for an indefinite ceasefire," Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said.

Islamabad, Feb. 24 : Pakistan has admitted that it was compelled to ink a peace deal with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) because it faltered in its bid to counter the increasing extremism in the Swat Valley.

Islamabad, Feb 24: A seven member FBI team is arriving here on February 27 to grill the Mumbai terror attacks masterminds arrested by Pakistani authorities in order to establish the authenticity of Pakistan's findings and get further information from the 26/11 accused.

The FBI team will interact with officials of FIA and Interior Ministry to discuss the findings of their probe into the Mumbai attacks.

FBI Director Robert Mueller is also expected to visit Islamabad on March 4, The News reported.