Karachi, Apr. 30 : Five more persons were reportedly killed in the continuous spate of violence on Thursday here, taking the death toll to 24 besides 30 others injured.

According to the reports filtering-in, the violence which erupted on Wednesday took a more violent turn today as several hotels, restaurants and vehicles were torched in different parts of the city.

The process of unending firing had erupted in North Karachi where two activists of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were found shot dead.

Islamabad, Apr. 30 : The Taliban has said that the military operation in Buner is an attempt by the Pakistan government to pacify the United States.

Spokesman of the Taliban’s Swat chapter Muslim Khan said the Taliban would not retaliate to the ongoing military offensive, and it would abide by the peace accord it has inked with the provincial government.

“The Buner operation is just to please America and nobody should fear of any reaction to this operation. We are peaceful people and are abiding by our peace agreement with the Frontier government,” The News quoted Khan, as saying.

New York, Apr. 30 : Under immense pressure from the United States and the international community, Pakistan has decided to shift around 6000 troops from its eastern border with India to the western Afghan border, The New York Times reports.

The newspaper, quoted a Pakistani official as confirming the movement of forces to a pre-Mumbai attack position.

Washington, Apr. 30 : The Obama administration is attempting to head off efforts in Congress to place tough conditions on the multi-billion dollar assistance package it is seeking for Pakistan.

According to Politico, senior Pentagon officials told lawmakers yesterday that conditions being proposed by both Democrats and Republican in Congress could “severely constrain” the U. S. strategy for Pakistan.

Islamabad - At least 27 people were killed and around three dozen more injured in ethnic violence in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, police and health officials said Thursday.

The clashes between activists of ethnic Urdu-speaking Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the minority-Pashtun population erupted Wednesday when gunmen shot dead two MQM supporters in the shanty-town neighbourhood of Khwaja Ajmair Nagri.

Washington, Apr. 30 : The ‘existential threat’ that Pakistan is facing currently from the ever advancing Taliban has US President Barack Obama seriously worried.

Talking to media persons at a prime-time news conference on the occasion of completing 100 days in office, Obama said he is “gravely concerned” about the stability of the Pakistani government.

Obama termed the Zardari regime in Pakistan as “very fragile”.