Pakistan's national security adviser fired

Pakistan has fired its national security adviser amid tensions with India over the Mumbai attacks, a sign of strain on the weak civilian administration as it responds to growing pressure to track down and punish the alleged masterminds.

Mahmood Ali Durrani, a former ambassador to the US and seen by critics as too friendly to Washington, was fired late Wednesday because “he gave media interviews on national security issues without consulting the prime minister,” said Imran Gardaizi, spokesman for prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.