Islamabad - Pakistani helicopter gunships and artillery on Wednesday pounded Taliban militant positions in the country's lawless tribal areas along the Afghan border, killing at least 19 rebels, an army spokesman said.

"In the Bajaur tribal district today, the ground troops secured several areas and moved forward toward Loi Sam, the militants' headquarters," Major Murad Khan said Wednesday.

He said the positions insurgents had "fortified around Loi Sam were engaged by artillery and gunship helicopters, leaving at least 19 militants killed and numerous injured."

Islamabad - Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday tried to lessen military tensions with Pakistan as he met the senior military and civilian leadership in Islamabad.

The US pursuit of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants inside Pakistan's tribal regions has strained relations between the two allies and the officials of the two countries have been engaged in a war of words in recent weeks.

Mullen met Pakistan's military chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in the garrison town of Rawalipindi and later held a meeting with the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the capital city.

Karachi - Amid rising rumors of an imminent financial default, the government of Pakistan recently laid out an ambitious emergency plan to dispose of its multibillion-US-dollar energy assets to raise money.

Among the first in line is the sale of rich Qadirpur gas field in southern Sindh province, just 260 miles north-east from the port city Karachi.

With whopping reserves of around 2.9 trillion cubic feet, the gas field is considered worth more than 3 billion dollars in international markets and is also regarded as a vital strategic asset.

Islamabad - Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Pakistani commanders on Wednesday discussed the security situation along the Afghan frontier, where US pursuit of al-Qaeda and Taliban militants has strained relations between the two allies, officials said.

Mullen met Pakistan's military chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in the garrison town of Rawalipindi weeks after both officers reviewed the counter-terrorism strategy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Indian Ocean.

The talks focused on cooperation between the US and Pakistani forces against international terrorism and recent incursions by American troops into Pakistan.

Lahore, Sept 17: Thousand of families who used to earn their bread by plying tongas in Lahore are on the brink of starvation, as, after the ban imposed by the Pakistan government, only a few ply on the a selected roads.

Till just a few years ago, before the ban was imposed, there were nearly 4000 tongas in the city ferrying school kids and office goers, that too absolutely pollution-free.

Thousands of people, who were associated with this business, became jobless as a result and the recent spell of inflation has added to their miseries.

Karachi - The Pakistan rupee on Wednesday plunged to a new record low of 77.66 against the US dollar amid rising tension with the United States over military operations inside Pakistani territory, traders said.

The rupee finally closed at 77.40 to a dollar in the open market but traders said it would slump to 78 by Friday as worsening relations with the US, the biggest donor, could cloud prospects of Pakistan receiving urgent financial aid from multilateral agencies to boost fledging foreign currency reserves.