Washington/Islamabad, Jan. 24 : The newly appointed U. S. Special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, intends to visit the region as soon as possible, the US State Department said on Friday.

State department spokesman Robert Woods told the daily briefing that he "spoke to Ambassador Holbrooke, and he said he was going to try to get out as soon as he could, but he didn't have a timeframe on that," The News reported.

Islamabad, Jan.

Islamabad, January 24 : It seems Pakistan nationals are these days busy honing their artistic skills – on currency notes.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) continues to be irked with the notes damaged by overwriting, which was alleged to have become a common practice among the locals.

Following people’s habitual scribbling of phone numbers, anti-government slogans and attempts to show political affiliation, SBP had ordered all banks not to accept such notes.

Islamabad, Jan. 23 : The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) of Pakistan has termed the `sharia' imposed by the Taliban in the tribal region as `terrorism'.

Director General (DG) of the ISPR, Major General Athar Abbas has said that the peace treaty signed with the Taliban in the Swat valley has provided the extremists an opportunity to re-emerge in the region.

"Taliban has regrouped in Swat as the security forces have changed their strategy after the peace deal," The Daily Times quoted, Maj. Gen. Abbas, as saying.

Islamabad, Jan.

Islamabad - A roadside bomb targeting a military convoy in Pakistan's troubled Swat district on Friday killed at least one civilian and wounded two others, an official said.

The remote-controlled blast took place in the Takhtaband area on the outskirts of Mingora, the main town of Swat where government troops are battling hardcore insurgents to quell a rebellion spearheaded by local radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah.

"One pedestrian was killed and two more were injured in the attack," a military spokesman said.