The death of a 25-year-old woman, who was 6-months pregnant and suffering from swine flu took place in a private hospital in the city of Karachi Saturday. Hospitalised for many days with high grade fever and cough complaints, hers is the second death from H1N1 virus in Karachi, 32 other patients have also been confirmed to be suffering from the flu.

A private laboratory that received a sample of her blood for testing confirmed the presence of the virus, even though her family said none of them had been abroad recently.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton started a three-day visit of Pakistan Wednesday, praising the country's offensive against Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents in the South Waziristan tribal district near the Afghan border. "We admire what the Pakistani military is doing in taking on this fight," Clinton said. "We think it's in the interest of Pakistan to do it."

The United States has long pressed Pakistan for an all-out offensive against Taliban militants launching cross-border attacks on Western forces in Afghanistan.

Pakistan's military on Thursday claimed killing 17 militants in the north-western Swat valley, where security forces are hunting Taliban leaders after dismantling their insurgent network.

Troops inflicted the casualties on insurgents during search operations conducted across Swat, a statement issued by the army said.

Thirteen suspected rebels were taken into custody, whereas seven more surrendered themselves to the security forces, according to the statement.

An explosion ripped through a restaurant in Pakistan's troubled North-West Frontier Province on Friday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens of others, police said.

The powerful explosion took place at a roadside restaurant on the outskirts of the garrison town of Kohat, 60 kilometres south of the provincial capital, Peshawar.

Pakistani security forces pounded militant hideouts in the restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 10 militants, officials said.

Army helicopter gunships from struck several positions held by Islamist militants in the Kurram and Orakzai districts, which are relatively peaceful compared to the remaining five tribal areas.

A suspected US missile strike in Pakistan's troubled South Waziristan tribal district near the Afghan border on Tuesday killed at least eight militants, intelligence officials said.

The attack took place near the town of Ladha in an area where top Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud was reportedly killed in a similar assault last week.

A Pakistani court on Monday ordered the police to open a case of wrongful confinement against former President Pervez Musharraf, for allegedly detaining judges after illegally imposing emergency rule in late 2007.

Judge Akmal Khan made the ruling in Islamabad after an attorney complained that police were reluctant to charge the former military strongman.

A huge blast ripped through Pakistan's eastern Punjab province Monday, killing at least nine people, police said.

The explosion took place in a small village on the outskirt of the Mian Channu town, located around 250 kilometers from the provincial capital, Lahore.