Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan on Friday claimed the Taliban's decision to hold talks under Pakistan's Constitution has exposed the lobby that was deliberately maligning him with labels such as "Taliban Khan".

After initial hiccups, Pakistani state negotiators and a Taliban-nominated committee met at an undisclosed location on Thursday to frame a roadmap for parleys aimed at ending terrorism and bringing peace to the country.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday invited India to engage in a "comprehensive, sustained and result-oriented" dialogue with Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Pervez Musharraf's legal woes mounted on Friday as a Pakistani special court conducting his treason trial issued a bailable arrest warrant for the beleaguered former dictator and ordered his production on February 7.

The prosecutor in the high treason case against former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf has rejected a report on his health prepared by military doctors, saying it is an "attempt to thwart the judicial process".

A ceremony to launch Pakistani teenage rights activist Malala Yousufzai's book was scrapped after the government of the restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province said it could not provide security for the event.

The only possible solution to the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan is to create a situation where the "lines while in existence" become "irrelevant", Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in an interview published on Sunday.

The Pakistani Taliban have issued a fatwa against the media, declaring it a "party" to the conflict in the country, and drawn up a hit-list of journalists and publishers, a media report said on Thursday.

Pakistan on Thursday ruled out the possibility of releasing Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the CIA track Osama bin Laden, saying the matter was sub judice and his fate would be decided by courts.

Pakistani combat jets pounded militant bases in the lawless North Waziristan tribal region, including the home of Taliban commander Adnan Rashid, and killed 25 terrorists in retaliation for a string of attacks on security forces.

At least 10 people, including five soldiers, were killed on Monday in a Taliban suicide attack at a market close to Pakistan's military headquarters in Rawalpindi, a day after one of the deadliest attacks on security forces killed 20 troops.

Peeved at being at the centre of controversy surrounding Shashi Tharoor, Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar claimed she had no role in his marital discord with Sunanda Pushkar and was a "victim of conspiracy".

At least 22 security personnel were killed and 38 others injured when the Pakistani Taliban attacked a military convoy in the country's restive northwest on Sunday.

Pakistan's former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was on Friday charged along with six others in the Rs 22 billion Rental Power Scam by a court in Islamabad.

India and Pakistan are working on allowing three banks to set up branches on each other's soil to help improve trade relations.

Pakistan on Thursday described Indian Army chief Gen Bikram Singh's remarks about retaliating against any possible ceasefire violations on the LoC as "provocative and unfortunate".

Pakistan on Wednesday called for "stability and predictability" in Indo-Pak relations, saying governments on both sides should have the courage to withstand pressure in the wake of "unfortunate incidents" and prevent derailment of ties.

Pakistan on Thursday sought the early resumption of the stalled dialogue process with India but acknowledged forward movement was unlikely before the upcoming Indian general elections.

Pakistan on Friday said it would welcome a visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has expressed hope of making a trip to the neighbouring country in the next four months, even as it sought the resumption of the composite dialogue.

India on Friday announced that a new rule whereby all travellers from Pakistan would have to be vaccinated against polio would be implemented from February 14.