Islamabad, Sept 23: As a mark of solidarity and sympathy towards those killed in Saturday’s hotel suicide attack and their families, the Indian High Commission had cancelled an Iftar party scheduled for Sept 25.

A statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad said that in the aftermath of terrorist attack, in which so many innocent lives were lost and injured, it would be inappropriate to hold the reception.

Rawalpindi, Sept 23 : In order to combat the rising prices of eatables during the ongoing month of Ramzan, the Rawalpindi district government has decided to give subsidized flour to as many as 30 tandoorwallahs to enable them to cook and sell roti at Rs 2 and naan at Rs 5 each.

The district administration has also put around 60 tandoorwallahs into jail for selling the rotis and naans above the fixed prices.

New Delhi - India and Pakistan have agreed to start bilateral trade between parts of Kashmir they separately administer by as early as next month, officials and news reports said Tuesday.

Officials from the countries who met in New Delhi on Monday finalized the "modalities" for starting the trade, a statement from India's External Affairs Ministry said.

New York, Sept 23 : The US administration must put its weight behind the new civilian government in Islamabad to bolster its efforts to strike against terrorists in its territory, to keep alive any realistic hope of wining the war against terror in Afghanistan and bordering tribal areas in Pakistan.

According to an editorial in the New York Times, newly-elected Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari should be extended American help to fight back militancy. It described Zardari as a political novice who faced serious corruption charges.

Kabul - Afghan foreign ministry said Tuesday that it was sending a team to Islamabad to work with Pakistani officials to secure the release of its diplomat, who was kidnapped by unknown gunmen near the shared border.

"A delegation from the foreign ministry is on its way to Islamabad to work closely with Pakistani officials," the ministry said in a statement.

Afghan designated ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Khaleq Farahi, was dragged out of his car in Hayatabad locality of the provincial capital Peshawar on Monday by unidentified gunmen and taken to an unknown location.

The men fatally shot Farahi's driver after they left his office and were heading home.

Islamabad - Pakistan has assured Afghanistan that it is making earnest efforts to recover the Afghan ambassador-designate who was abducted in the north-western city of Peshawar, a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The Afghan diplomat was kidnapped by armed men on Monday after an ambush during which his driver was shot dead. He was returning home in his official vehicle when it was intercepted in the upmarket Hayatabad neighbourhood.

"The government of Pakistan is taking all necessary measures for safe and early recovery of Ambassador-designate Abdul Khaleq Farahi," the statement cited Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as saying during a talk with his Afghan counterpart Rangin Dadfar Spanta.