The plight of Kaavan, a mentally tormented bull elephant confined to a small pen in Islamabad Zoo for nearly three decades, has galvanised a rare animal rights campaign in Pakistan.

The death toll from two overnight bombings at a busy market in northern Pakistan rose to 49 today with 10 more people dying at a hospital, officials said.

A Pakistani parliamentary commission today demanded an end to American drone attacks inside the country and an apology for deadly US air strikes in November as part of proposed new terms in the country’s troubled relations with the United States.

Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf’s spokesman says he will not resign despite the move by Pakistan’s ruling coalition to finalise impeachment charges against him over the weekend.