Islamabad, Aug 6 : Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is expected to leave for China today to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on Friday, and he is likely to meet US President George W Bush.

According to a statement issued by the country’s Foreign Office, leaders from several countries had confirmed their participation and Musharraf would have the opportunity to meet them on the sidelines of the opening ceremony.

Islamabad - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday called off his visit to China, hours before his departure, as the possibility of his impeachment brewed amid crucial meetings of the country's ruling coalition.

Musharraf was scheduled to leave for China in the afternoon to attend Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics and meet Chinese leaders, including Prime Minister Hu Jintao.

Khar, Aug 6 : The Pakistan unit of the Taliban – the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has reportedly threatened to launch attacks in Karachi, particularly the MQM offices and its leaders, and that it could take the control of the port city anytime it wanted if the party chief Altaf Hussain, who stays in London, didn’t immediately end his kingdom there.

A TTP spokesman said that the militant outfit was “prepared to wage jihad to counter US and NATO forces in the Tribal Areas”, and had established anti-aircraft “missile systems” along the Pak-Afghan border for this purpose.

“The MWM must immediately end his kingdom in Karachi, as it was ripe for the Taliban to gain control of the city,” the Daily Times quoted the spokesman as saying.

Islamabad, Aug 6 : During the crucial meeting yesterday with PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is learnt to have told him that he was ready in principle to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, provided that all coalition partners assured their support for this endeavour, and the ruling coalition had the requisite numbers (read majority) in the National Assembly.

Islamabad - An Italian climber who was stranded after an avalanche on K2, the world's second highest mountain, managed to descend to base camp on Tuesday, officials said.

The ice fall struck eight international expeditions on the 8,611-metre peak Friday, leaving 11 mountaineers dead, and Marco Confortola struggling to climb down safely.

"Around 11 am (0500 GMT) this morning he reached at an advance base camp, which is located at around 5,800 metres altitude, and is waiting for evacuation by a helicopter," Italian embassy spokesman Sergio Oddo told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

But the poor weather hampered the airlift of the survivor.

Karachi, Aug 5 : Pakistan’s unit of the Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has said that their next area for expanding its operations was Karachi, where they want to end “vulgarity”.

“Karachi holds great significance for the Taliban movement, and the Taliban aim to establish themselves in the port city to ‘end vulgarity in the city’”, the Daily Times quoted TTP spokesman Maulvi Umar as saying.

Karachi is considered as the financial and entertainment capital of Pakistan. It is also strategically situated city of Pakistan suiting the country’s business and commercial interests.