Washington, Sept 19 : The US seems to be caught between India and Pakistan as far as upgrading the F-16 jets is concerned. While the US Congress has already okayed the programme, one major risk for the US involved in the exercise of letting the programme to go through could be straining the ties with India, Thomas Houlahan, the Director of “Military Assessment Programme” has written in an article.

He added that this risk is “offset, and possibly outweighed” by the risk of strained relations with Pakistan if the programme were to be sidetracked.

“The risk that the increasing capability gap between India and Pakistan may increase the possibility of war must also be considered,” the Daily Times quoted Houlhan as saying in the article.

Karachi, Sept 19 : The Sindh Government has reportedly served a notice on the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi to vacate the Hindu Gymkhana, and hand over its possession to the Sindh government without any compensation.

According to The News, the NAPA has been directed to vacate the Hindu Gymkhana premises within three months of the receipt of the notice.

Once the NAPA vacates the premises, the provincial Culture Department would allow the Hindu community to use a certain portion for their cultural and social activities, while the other portion would be used for setting up a centre for Sindh arts and crafts, added the paper.

Islamabad, Sept 19: In order to help the poor among Pakistanis tackle the food problem amid rising prices of essential commodities and also encourage kids to attend schools, the US has decided to give Pakistan 8.4 million dollars in food aid, a statement released by the US embassy said.

The aid would be sent through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations World Food Programme. An agreement was signed to this effect here last evening.

Rawalpindi, Sept 19: The inside walls of toilets in Rawalpindi, be they in the universities, government offices, bus stands or airports, have become a platform for venting anti-US and anti-Bush feelings. They are inscribed with filthy anti-America and anti-Bush messages, and in some even Musharraf is rebuked, while others are written in words that can not be quoted.

Some of the samples of messages written on the walls are: “Yeh Bush Ka Ghar Hai” (This is Bush’s House), “Down with America”, “Down with Israel” and so on.

Islamabad, Sept 19: The Taliban have reportedly set up new fronts in Maidan in the hills of the Upper Dir Valley, after scaring and intimidating the locals. The arrival of militants (who have been trained for fighting in Afghanistan), in the Dir Valley comes at a crucial moment when Pakistan security forces are busy in carrying out counter-insurgency operations in the tribal areas, reported The Telegraph.

The Taliban encroachment has seeped from Pakistan''s seven tribal areas into adjacent areas nominally under full government control. Last week 20 more locals were killed and 30 wounded when militants hurled grenades and fired indiscriminately into a Dir mosque, added the paper.

London, Sept 19: A leading US think tank in its latest report has warned that in order to pursue cooperation with the US-led war on terror, newly elected Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari will have to strike a balance between the growing US’ pressure on Islamabad for military strikes in tribal areas, and the Pakistan Army’s decreasing tolerance for such strikes.

Zardari must prioritise fighting militancy along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, said the report.