Islamabad - Pakistani security forces repelled overnight militant attacks on their positions in the troubled north-west, killing at least three insurgents, an official said Monday. The clashes occurred Sunday when rebels targeted checkpoints in Wana, the main town of South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

The area is the stronghold of top Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, who has been blamed for dozens of deadly attacks, including the one that killed former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Islamabad, Apr. 13: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has said that it would prefer to be an opposition party at the centre "in democracy's interest."

"The Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) will not work to destabilize the federal government and will act as constructive opposition," the Dawn quoted PML-N spokesman Siddiqul Farooq, as saying.

Islamabad, Apr.

Lahore, Apr. 13: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has rejected a US claim that his country is on the verge of collapse.

In an interview to CNN-IBN, he said that statements from senior US officials on Pakistan facing internal collapse were mere exaggeration.

He, however, said only certain `pockets' of Swat are under the control of the Taliban or under attack. "I will not deny that it's a concern," he said.

On Indo-Pak relations, Qureshi said that India should stop accusing Pakistan of terrorism.

Islamabad, Apr. 13: The strategic relations between Pakistan and the United States are deteriorating following India's enhanced role in the US strategy on Afghanistan.

The situation became apparent after a prickly Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi pointed towards a trust deficit between the two allies and asked the senior partner for a fair treatment based on mutual trust and respect, the Dawn reports.

Background interviews revealed that strains in the relations were much more serious than visible.

Islamabad, Apr. 13: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has managed to bag a sponsorship of over a million dollars for the UAE one-day international series.

"At the time when everyone thought we would not be able to finalise a sponsorship deal worth 200,000 dollars, the PCB has succeeded to strike a deal of over one million dollars. That does not include the money we would get from the TV rights," PCB's chief financial advisor, Mohammad Naeem, said.