Pak Taliban chief’s brother among 15 killed in NWFP

Yahya’s body was later found by security forces in the Domail area near Bannu, officials told TV channels. The reasons behind Yahya’s killing were not immediately available.

There was also no word on the issue from the Taliban.

In another incident in the restive Matta area of Swat valley in the NWFP, six Taliban militants were killed by followers of a cleric named Pir Samiullah. In retaliation, the Taliban executed eight followers of the cleric.

The eight persons who were killed by the Taliban were part of a group of 80 followers of Pir Samiullah who were abducted by the militants earlier in the day. The killings sparked tension in the Matta area, a stronghold of the Taliban.

Zardari Speak

Regional issues: Pakistan is engaging key players in South Asia, including India and Afghanistan, in talks to resolve regional issues including the water problem, President Asif Ali Zardari has said on Sunday. The President said Islamabad was also engaging Kabul in talks to resolve the issues confronting the region. His remarks came as Pakistan’s relations with Afghanistan have been under stress over the issue of terrorism. He described his recent visit to China, his first official bilateral tour abroad after becoming President, as highly successful.

Judicial crisis: Asserting that there is no judicial crisis in Pakistan, Zardari said on Sunday that the deposed judges, including ex-Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry, should contest polls instead of issuing political statements. “The way these former judges are delivering speeches similar to that of politicians, I would advise the PM to give them a party ticket for the Senate elections to be held next year,” he said. Despite repeated calls from the opposition PML-N for reinstating all the deposed judges, Zardari’s PPP has refrained from restoring Chaudhry and a handful of other judges.