Karachi, Dec. 29 : Imran Khan''s party, Pakistan's Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), has started `Sasta Tandoor' program in Karachi under which poor people are provided `Daal' and two `Rotis' for just five rupees.

Meanwhile, PTI's President, Imran Ismail warned troublemakers with dire consequences if they happen to lay hurdles in their party chief Imran khan's scheduled Karachi visit after moharram.

Ismail said that this time party workers would not let Imran Khan leave Karachi once he arrived there, reported The News.

Islamabad, December 29 : The sales of New Year cards have tumbled down considerably as more and more people now prefer sending cheaper SMS to wish their family and friends.

Shopkeepers also blamed the Internet for the decline during special occasions since it was far more pocket friendly.

While greeting cards cost buyers between Rs. 20 and Rs. 100, an SMS was priced around Re one, and even further cheap if sent to the same network user.

Waqar Ahmad, owner of a bookshop in F-8/3, revealed that people, especially youth, were responsible for the turn, reports the Daily Times.

Miranshah, Dec. 28 : Taliban militants have killed three men in Pakistan's North Waziristan Agency, suspecting them to be United States spies.

A body was recovered in the Miranshah Bazaar with a Taliban note claiming that the man was a US spy, and a cassette in which he made his confession, would be made public soon.

Two more bodies were found killed in a similar manner near Khesu Khel Pul, 24 kilometres east of Mirali tehsil of Miranshah.

Similar notes were recovered on the bodies saying; those spying for the US forces would be treated in a similar manner.

Islamabad - The death toll in the weekend suicide car bombing at a polling station in Pakistan's north-western Buner district rose to 40 on Monday as more victims died in hospitals, police said.

A suicide bomber riding an explosives-laden car struck a government school, where hundreds of voters were casting ballots, in Shal Bande village at 11:00am (0600 GMT) Sunday, killing more than 15 people instantly.

The powerful blast destroyed the school building and adjacent shops serving as camps for contesting political parties and damaged nearby houses and a mosque. Rescuers dug through the rubble until late Sunday night to pull out dozens of trapped victims.

Islamabad, Dec. 28: In an effort to defuse tension between India and Pakistan, China has sent a seven-member delegation headed by its Deputy Foreign Minister, He Yafei, on a visit to the two neighbouring nations.

The Pakistan foreign office spokesman, Mohammad Sadiq, informed The Dawn that the Chinese minister had arrived in Islamabad on a two-day visit.

After arriving in the capital, He Yafei met Foreign Secretary, Salman Bashir and discussed the current regional situation after the Mumbai attacks.

Yafei said that rising tension was not in the favour of India or Pakistan. He also emphasised the need to maintain peace and stability in the South Asian region.

Lahore, Dec. 29: Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) has criticized the Pakistan government's move to take over its schools, by saying, if the government is unable to run its own institutions properly then how can it manage JuD schools?

"How will the government run these institutions when it is unable to run its own?" a JuD spokesperson said, referring to the dismal state of government's educational institutions.

The Punjab government had appointed special supervisors for JuD schools and dispensaries after the UN banned it, the Daily Times reported.

According to the paper, the Punjab government had decided not to shutdown charity organizations run by the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa, but monitor them.