Islamabad - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed Wednesday that Pakistan had sought help to tackle the financial crisis the Islamic militancy-hit country is currently seeing.

"The Pakistani authorities have requested discussions with the IMF on an economic program supported by financial assistance from the Fund to meet the balance of payments difficulties the country is experiencing as a result of high food and fuel prices and the global financial crisis," said Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the IMF.

Islamabad - Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Wednesday that his Afghan counterpart Rangin Dadfar Spanta had confirmed his government had held talks with Taliban representatives in Saudi Arabia.

"Mr Spanta shared with me that, yes, there was an informal contact between the Afghan government and Taliban that took place between some clergymen from Afghanistan and some elements from the previous setup (Taliban regime) in Afghanistan," he told reporters in Islamabad in a joint press briefing with Spanta.

Spanta said the reconciliation process would move ahead only if militants were "ready to put down their weapons," accept the Afghan constitution and "live a peaceful life."

Islamabad  - Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta confirmed for the first time Wednesday that his government had held talks with Taliban representatives in Saudi Arabia.

But he warned that the reconciliation process would move ahead only if militants were "ready to put down their weapons," accept the Afghan constitution and "live a peaceful life."

"But we are at the beginning of the process," he told reporters in Islamabad after a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi. He declined to give any details of the talks.

Peshawar - At least five security personnel and seven rebels were killed when Taliban rebels ambushed a troop convoy in Pakistan's restive Swat Valley, police said Wednesday.

The caravan of several vehicles of paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) and police carrying supplies for the troops came under attack in Sarsinai area of sub-district Kabal Tuesday afternoon.

"Four FC soldiers and a policeman were martyred (killed) in the attack, while security forces killed seven militants in the clashes that lasted for several hours," said Swat police chief Dilawar Khan Bangash.

Islamabad, Oct 22: Shaukat Tareen, the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Financial Adviser, has said that his country needed five billion dollars from multilateral lenders and friendly countries to avert the impending balance of payments (BoP) crisis.

He said the PPP-led federal government had estimated that it would need an amount ranging between 3.4 and 4.5 billion dollars, but multilateral lenders had assessed the country would need five billion dollars to bridge the gap in the balance of payments.

“I never said that Pakistan is seeking 10-15 billion dollars assistance from multilateral lenders, including the IMF,” the Dawn quoted him as saying.

Islamabad, Oct 22: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari urged civil and political leaders to confront the war on terror, saying that the military and security agencies “could not be left alone to fight the war”.

“This is total war and should be fought in totality, and on multiple fronts,” he told participants of a top-level meeting on the FATA and NWFP security situation at the President’s House.