Islamabad - At least four Islamic militants were killed and seven more were injured Wednesday in a missile strike by a suspected pilotless US aircraft in north-west Pakistan, a Pakistani official said.

One of the two missiles fired hit a house in the Jani Khel semi-tribal area of the Bannu district in the North-West Frontier Province.

The pre-dawn airstrike destroyed a mud compound that belonged to a Taliban militant named Dilber, alias Parpand, a local intelligence official said, on the condition of anonymity.

Peshawar, Nov 19 : Pakistan Police has decided to set up special diplomatic zone for the protection of foreign diplomats in Peshawar after it failed to make any progress towards recovery of abducted Afghan and Iranian diplomats on Wednesday.

Taking to Geo News, SSP Kashif Alam said that police is probing the kidnapping of Iran’s commercial attaché Hashmatullah Atharzade and Afghan’s ambassador-designate Abdul Khaliq Farahi.

“We have drafted the final recommendations aimed at safeguarding foreign diplomats in future.” These recommendations, he said, would be forwarded to the federal government soon.

New Delhi, Nov 19 : India’s Test tour of Pakistan, which is scheduled to take place early next year, is not confirmed until it is cleared by the government.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has sought security clearance from the government to go ahead with the tour, BCCI president Shashank Manohar told reporters here.

“The tour will be finalised once we get the clearance from the government. Nothing can be confirmed before that,” said Manohar.

Islamabad, Nov 19 : Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam has said that Test matches against India should be at a neutral venue in case the Indian government does not clear its cricket team’s tour of Pakistan in January due to security concerns.

“First of all, I think India should come to Pakistan. But if for any reason the tour does not go ahead as planned, I think playing at neutral venue is the best option,” The News quoted Alam as saying.

Lahore, Nov 19: Facing a severe financial crunch caused by the spate of postponed series and tournaments in 2008, the PCB is reportedly planning to cut down heavily on the administrative expenditure incurred in running the organisation.

According to The News, Wasim Bari, who was recently appointed as Director HR and Administration, is keen on trimming expenses. “Needless appointments made to the board will be terminated to reduce the overall expenditures,” the paper quoted him as saying.

Khar, Nov 19: Three tribal elders who yesterday escaped from Taliban captivity in Bajaur Agency, have claimed presence of a large number of foreigners, mostly Uzbeks, Chechens, in the Taliban ranks