Pakistani police kill alleged militants

The authorities in Pakistan say two militants thought to have been involved in a deadly attack on a church in Punjab last year have been shot dead after an 18-hour gun battle.

A third suspect escaped.

Pakistani police said that after a tip-off, they tried to stop a car in which the three men were travelling in a remote part of eastern Punjab.

The suspects ran off into a sugar plantation, and after a lengthy stand-off, two bodies were found.

Police said they believed the men were members of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant organisation.

Sixteen Roman Catholic worshippers were killed in last year's attack on the church in Bahawalpur city.

Pakistani officials say they believe the dead men were planning a series of further violent attacks, in the run up to next month's parliamentary elections. From the newsroom of the BBC World Service