London, Dec 13: The dancing girls of Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan, have gone on strike to protest against the ban on ‘Mujra’.

Last month, Lahore High Court had imposed a ban on the graceful and elaborate dance- first developed in the Mughal courts 400 years ago- on the grounds that it is “too sexually explicit”.

The revolt sparked in the protest against the tide of Talibanisation that is threatening to destroy the art form.

"The Mujra by its very nature is supposed to be a seductive dance," The Independent quoted Badar Alam, a cultural expert as saying.

He recalls that attempts were made to ban it during the 1980s.

Lahore, Dec. 13: South Australia is looking to employ Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Tanvir for its Twenty20 campaign, but according to the Daily Times, the move depends on his international commitments.

Tanvir starred for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year, and if the short-term deal goes through, he will step in for Younis Khan, who is helping out the struggling Redbacks in 2007-08, says a report on a cricket website.

Tanvir, 24, was the most successful bowler in the IPL with 22 wickets and hit the winning runs while batting with Shane Warne in the final.

South Australian officials are excited by the prospect of Shaun Tait working in tandem with Tanvir and said the deal was ‘cheap’.

Lahore, Dec. 13: South Australia is looking to employ Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Tanvir for its Twenty20 campaign, but according to the Daily Times, the move depends on his international commitments.

Tanvir starred for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year, and if the short-term deal goes through, he will step in for Younis Khan, who is helping out the struggling Redbacks in 2007-08, says a report on a cricket website.

Lahore, Dec. 13 : US President-elect Barack Obama's key adviser on South Asian affairs, Bruce Reidel has described Pakistan as the most dangerous country in the world and predicted that the next nuclear war could take place in South Asia.

Islamabad, Dec. 13: In the wake of last month's terror attacks in Mumbai and the subsequent crackdown by the Pakistan Government on the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba and its political wing – the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a coalition of five major Jihadi organisations, led by militant commander Syed Salahuddin, has disappeared.

According to The News, these Jihadi organizations have temporarily dissolved themselves, closed down their offices, removed all signs and asked their leaders to stay quiet.

"Following the Mumbai attacks and the subsequent tension between Pakistan and India, the United Jihad Council has decided to remain silent," The News quoted an unnamed UJC commander, as saying.

Lahore, Dec. 13: Criticizing the Pakistan Government for toeing the line of the United States through its crackdown on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said that move in the wake of a UN ban on the organization, was solely aimed at favouring India, a key strategic ally of Washington.

He described the current situation as painful, especially when Pakistan has rendered yeoman support as a frontline ally in the global war on terror.