Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani parliamentarians have demanded immediate government action to curb crimes against minorities following the migration of a Hindu lawmaker to India and a string of kidnappings, including that of a leading Hindu spiritual leader.

ISLAMABAD - Citing the example of a serving Indian Army general who was court-martialled, Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has wondered "why don't a few top guns in our country get booked for their wrongdoings", and added, "It is high time that some heads roll".

ISLAMABAD - A constitutional petition has been filed in Pakistan's Supreme Court for handing over Karachi to the army after more than 60 people lost their lives to violence in the first fortnight of 2011, a media report said.

NEW DELHI - The government will "unilaterally" ease travel restrictions and give multiple-entry permits valid for six months to Pakistani Kashmiris who want to visit their families in Jammu and Kashmir, Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said Friday.

ISLAMABAD - More than two dozen Hindu families in Pakistan have sought political asylum in India after an increase in cases of kidnapping for ransom and target killings of the members of their community in Balochistan province, an official said.