Washington, Dec 8 : The Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant group said to be behind the Mumbai terror attacks, has quietly gained strength in recent years to become a more effective militant outfit with the help of Pakistan’s main spy agency, the ISI.

The assistance of the ISI has allowed the LeT to train and raise money while other militants have been under siege, The New York Times quotes US intelligence and counter-terrorism officials, as saying.

Islamabad  - Pakistani soldiers have seized 20 people connected to a disbanded militant group accused of orchestrating the Mumbai terrorist attacks, media reports said Monday.

Troops made the arrests Sunday afternoon after storming a camp used by Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the charity wing of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which India blamed for the November 26 attacks that killed more than 170 people, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Jamaat-ud-Dawa previously claimed it had no connection with the LeT and was focusing on religious and charitable work.

Peshawar, Dec. 8 : Peshawar is once again in the news, but for all the wrong reasons.

Last week, a car blast rocked the historic Qisakhawani bazaar killing three people and injuring several others. Then, trucks carrying NATO supplies were set on fire by extremists December 7. The rockets fired by the militants sparked off a fire that damaged up to 80 armoured vehicles and trucks parked inside a complex. The attack also triggered an exchange of fire between militants and security forces though there were no reports of casualties among the rebels.

Islamabad, Dec. 8 : Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General, Lt. Gen. (retired) Hamid Gul, has rejected all allegations regarding his connection with banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and also about his involvement in any terrorist activities involving Al Qaeda.

In an interview to a U. S. based T. V channel, he said: “Whatever happens in India, it (India) is in habit of putting blames on others.”

Mumbai, Dec. 8 : The International Cricket Council (ICC) is keeping a close watch on the developments in the Indian subcontinent in the run-up to the 2011 World Cup.

According to sources, if the existing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad fail to subside in the wake of last month’s terror attacks, the ICC could have a rethink on whether to allow the tournament to take place in the region.

The toughening of stand by the Government of India towards Pakistan, following the terror attacks in Mumbai, is being viewed with some kind of seriousness in Dubai, the headquarters of the ICC.

New Delhi, Dec. 8: India’s External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has regretted that Pakistan is giving credibility to a ‘hoax’ call, and charged it with resorting to a tactic to confuse the public by only releasing part of the story.

Claiming that the call was a bid to divert attention from what he called ‘Pakistani-based’ elements’ attack on India, Mukherjee flayed Pakistan for putting its military on alert after the call.

He clarified that the last time he had spoken to Zardari was during his visit to Islamabad in May and that the reports about his telephonic call to the president were ‘misleading’.