Pakistan Parliament in war on rodents

Beset by Islamic militancy and economic woes, Pakistani lawmakers now face a new challenge -- an infestation of rats which are chewing through electrical and telephone wires in parliament.

The rodents are causing computer problems and terrifying members of the house, even distracting from the vital business of governing the nuclear-armed nation, officials and reports said on Friday.

Parliament staff fought a "rat crisis" throughout a two-week closed-door sitting of the two houses of parliament this month focusing on the US-led "war on terror," influential English-language daily Dawn said.

"There had been instances when rats racing across the floor of the house made members jump from their seats," it said. "The experience has been particularly terrifying for female MPs and staff members."

Parliamentary officials confirmed the infestation.

"The rats come down and cripple our computer network. Sometimes it becomes a problem to trace the affected wires," a parliamentary official said on condition of anonymity.

The official said the rats had apparently found a "safe haven" in the false ceilings of the building.

"There are rat traps and sometimes we sprinkle rat poison but the problem is not yet over," the official added.

Parliament passed a unanimous resolution on Wednesday night calling for an "urgent review" of Pakistan's anti-terror policy and for talks with Taliban militants who have havens in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.

Pakistan's new civilian government meanwhile is in talks with the International Monetary Fund to avoid the possibility of a balance of payments crisis.