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Pakistan appoints Yasir Arafat cricket team’s high performance coach

Pakistan appoints Yasir Arafat cricket team’s high performance coach
Pakistan cricketer Yasir Arafat warms up during a training session at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, Sri Lanka on September 24, 2012. (AFP/File)
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Updated 26 December 2023
AFP
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Pakistan appoints Yasir Arafat cricket team’s high performance coach

Pakistan appoints Yasir Arafat cricket team’s high performance coach
  • Pakistan failed to qualify for final of Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in Sept., before crashing out of World Cup months later
  • The World Cup flop already prompted Pakistan Cricket Board to replace team director Mickey Arthur and head coach
Updated 26 December 2023
AFP
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KARACHI: Pakistan appointed former allrounder Yasir Arafat its national cricket team high performance coach on Tuesday, another staffing shake-up for the embattled side after a tumultuous year. 

In September, Pakistan failed to qualify for the final of the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, before crashing out of the World Cup in the first round in India just two months later. 

The World Cup flop already prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to replace team director Mickey Arthur and head coach Grant Bradburn, who had only taken over in April. 

Arafat will take the helm from Simon Helmot who is coaching Pakistan through the ongoing Test series in Australia. 

The PCB said Arafat will be part of team management for the upcoming five T20Is in New Zealand, slated for January 12-21. 

While no tenure has been given for the 41-year-old, he is also likely to guide Pakistan to next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States. 

Arafat played three Tests, 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is for Pakistan and was a Twenty20 cricketer in England, where he served as bowling coach for Sussex and Surrey. 

He also had stints in Australia’s Big Bash League and was a bowling coach for the Hong Kong national team.

Topics: Pakistan yasir arafat Cricket sport

Pakistan Railways says 40 percent restoration work completed on Balochistan bridge targeted by militants

Pakistan Railways says 40 percent restoration work completed on Balochistan bridge targeted by militants
Updated 8 sec ago
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Pakistan Railways says 40 percent restoration work completed on Balochistan bridge targeted by militants

Pakistan Railways says 40 percent restoration work completed on Balochistan bridge targeted by militants
  • Track connecting Balochistan to other parts of country was targeted by militants on Aug. 26
  • Train operations expected to resume by October 15, says railways spokesperson
Updated 8 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Railways has completed 40 percent of the restoration work on a bridge damaged in a militant attack in the southwestern Balochistan province last month, state-run media reported on Wednesday, saying that train operations are set to resume by Oct. 15.

The bridge, located in the Bolan area of the Kachi district in Balochistan, was destroyed in one of multiple militant attacks on Aug. 26. 

Pakistan Railways suspended train operations via the bridge, which connects the militancy-hit province to other parts of the country.

“The Pakistan Railways has successfully completed 40 percent of the restoration work on a bridge damaged by terrorism in Quetta, Balochistan,” the Associated Press of Pakistan said on Wednesday. “The spokesperson assured that the bridge would be ready for train operations by October 15.”

He said the rail connection between Balochistan and other parts of the country via the bridge would be restored once the railways receive security clearance. 

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to major China-led projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine, has been the site of a decades-long separatist insurgency, with ethnic Baloch militants saying they are fighting what they see as the unfair exploitation of the province’s mineral and gas wealth by the federation. The Pakistani state denies the allegations and says it is working to uplift the impoverished province through various development schemes. 

The province is also currently in the grips of civil rights protests by Baloch people who are calling for an end to what they describe as a pattern of enforced disappearances and human rights abuses by security forces, which deny the charge.

Topics: Balochistan Pakistan Railways

Pakistan to organize ‘Seerat Festival’ this week to pay tribute to Prophet Muhammad

Pakistan to organize ‘Seerat Festival’ this week to pay tribute to Prophet Muhammad
Updated 45 min 57 sec ago
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Pakistan to organize ‘Seerat Festival’ this week to pay tribute to Prophet Muhammad

Pakistan to organize ‘Seerat Festival’ this week to pay tribute to Prophet Muhammad
  • Three-day festival to take place in Islamabad’s National Skills University from Sept. 20-22
  • Festival to feature research papers by scholars, documentary screenings on Prophet Muhammad’s life
Updated 45 min 57 sec ago
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will organize a three-day “Seerat Festival” from Sept. 20-22 in Islamabad to pay tribute to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and highlight valuable lessons from his life, a government authority said on Wednesday. 

The National Rahmatul-lil-Alameen Wa Khatamun Nabiyyin Authority (NRKNA), an ideological government institution that aims to promote research on Prophet Muhammad’s life for the betterment of society, will organize the festival. 

The NRKNA said the theme for the festival, which will take place in the Islamic month of Rabi Al-Awwal when Prophet Muhammad was born, is titled: ‘Searching for World Peace: In the Light of the Prophet’s Teachings.’ 

“The festival, organized by the Rahmat Lal Alamin wa Khatam-ul-Nabieen Authority, will feature over sixty research papers presented by scholars from both Pakistan and abroad,” the NRKNA said in a statement. 

“Special sessions dedicated to children, women, and minorities will also be included in the festival agenda.”

NRKNA Chairman Khurshid Nadeem told reporters during a press conference that the festival, which would be held in Islamabad’s National Skills University, would “transform the atmosphere of the capital.”

“The international conference, ‘Searching for World Peace: In the Light of the Prophet’s Teachings,’ will bring scholars from around the world to explore various aspects of the Prophet’s biography,” Nadeem told reporters during a press conference. 

“Our aim is to promote scholarly engagement with the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.”

Pakistani publishers will offer discounts of up to 50 percent on biographical books, the NRKNA said, adding that the festival will also showcase Islamic art and culture through a calligraphy exhibition. 

“Additionally, poetry readings and documentary screenings will highlight the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet, aiming to convey messages of moral integrity based on Qur’anic verses and prophetic sayings,” it said. 

Topics: Pakistan Seerat Festival

Pakistan police arrest key suspect in gang rape of woman polio worker

Pakistan police arrest key suspect in gang rape of woman polio worker
Updated 18 September 2024
AP
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Pakistan police arrest key suspect in gang rape of woman polio worker

Pakistan police arrest key suspect in gang rape of woman polio worker
  • Three men assaulted woman polio worker during last week’s vaccination campaign in Jacobabad district
  • Anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan are regularly marred by violence by militant groups opposed to them 
Updated 18 September 2024
AP

MULTAN, Pakistan: Pakistani police arrested the key suspect in the gang rape of a woman polio worker who was assaulted by three men during last week’s vaccination campaign, officials said Wednesday. Two other suspects are still at large.

The assault on Thursday in Jacobabad, a district in the southern Sindh province, was one in a spate of attacks targeting polio vaccination teams going door to door in the campaign across Pakistan.

The woman who was attacked had alerted the authorities, saying she was raped by three men after going into a house in Jacobabad to administer polio drops to the children there, local police official Mohammad Saifal said.

The suspect, identified as Ahmad Jakhrani, was arrested overnight, Saifal added.

Police are still seeking the arrest of the two other men, accused of taking turns to assault the woman, Saifal said. A local police chief was fired for negligence following the attack, for failing to provide the polio worker with adequate security.

The attack shocked many Pakistanis as such sexual assaults are rare, though women polio workers have complained of harassment in the past during the campaigns. The provincial government in Sindh has said it would fully investigate the case.

Police also detained the husband of the attacked woman for kicking her out of their home and threatening to kill her after the assault over allegedly tarnishing the family’s honor by being raped.

So-called honor killings, in which women and girls are slain by their own relatives for allegedly dishonoring the family’s reputation, are still common in Pakistan.

Saifal also said police have been deployed to the house where the woman was now staying with her relatives for her protection.

Anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan are regularly marred by violence. Militants often target polio vaccination teams and police assigned to protect them, falsely claiming that the campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.

Since January, Pakistan has reported 17 new cases of polio, jeopardizing decades of efforts to eliminate the potentially fatal, paralyzing disease from the country. Polio often strikes children under age 5 and typically spreads through contaminated water.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in which the spread of polio has never been stopped. Pakistan’s government is planning another polio vaccination drive in October.

Topics: Polio

Pakistan PM accepts King Charles’ invitation to attend Commonwealth summit in Samoa 

Pakistan PM accepts King Charles’ invitation to attend Commonwealth summit in Samoa 
Updated 18 September 2024
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Pakistan PM accepts King Charles’ invitation to attend Commonwealth summit in Samoa 

Pakistan PM accepts King Charles’ invitation to attend Commonwealth summit in Samoa 
  • King Charles III invites Sharif to Commonwealth summit during telephone call
  • Leaders to discuss global economic and environmental challenges during October summit
Updated 18 September 2024
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif on Wednesday accepted an invitation by British King Charles III to attend an upcoming Commonwealth summit in Samoa, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, reiterating his country’s commitment to the international association. 

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2024 (CHOGM) will take place in Apia, Samoa from October 21-26, 2024. This will be the first time that King Charles III will head a meeting of the global association since becoming king. 

According to the Commonwealth’s website, leaders will deliberate on global economic, environmental and security challenges during the summit. They will also discuss how Commonwealth countries can work together to build resilience, boost trade, innovation, growth and empower the 1.5 billion young people who live in member states. 

Sharif received the invitation over a telephone call from the British king on Wednesday, the PMO said, adding that the Pakistani premier described it as a “significant moment in the history of the Commonwealth.”

“Prime Minister Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the Commonwealth and the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter,” the PMO said. 

He noted the UK monarch’s longstanding interest in environmental issues and initiatives for climate sustainability. The Pakistani premier said he looked forward to engaging with Commonwealth leaders on climate change as Pakistan is “highly vulnerable” to its impacts.

Unusually heavy rains and the melting of glaciers in June 2022 triggered flash floods in many parts of the country. Over 1,700 people were killed as large swathes of crops were destroyed and critical infrastructure was damaged. Pakistan estimated losses of over $30 billion from the floods. 

Sharif also expressed his best wishes for the king’s health and for Catherine Middleton, the princess of Wales, who announced in May that was suffering from cancer. 

“Recalling the fond memories of the King’s last visit to Pakistan, when he was the Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister hoped that the King and Her Majesty The Queen would visit Pakistan soon,” the PMO said. 

Pakistan is a member of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 countries out of which the vast majority are former British territories.

The governments of Commonwealth countries pledge to promote common objectives such as development, democracy and peace.

Topics: Pakistan King Charles Commonwealth summit Samoa CHOGM

Pakistan co-sponsors resolution at UN for implementation of ICJ verdict against Israel

Pakistan co-sponsors resolution at UN for implementation of ICJ verdict against Israel
Updated 25 min 49 sec ago
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Pakistan co-sponsors resolution at UN for implementation of ICJ verdict against Israel

Pakistan co-sponsors resolution at UN for implementation of ICJ verdict against Israel
  • Proposal demands Israel’s ‘unconditional’ withdrawal from Palestinian territories, reparation for damage
  • Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent and viable Palestinian state
Updated 25 min 49 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan co-sponsored a draft resolution presented at the United Nations on Tuesday, seeking the implementation of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

The ICJ declared Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank and East Jerusalem a violation of international law in July, issuing its non-binding advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of Palestinian lands.

Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 War. The Palestinians seek all three areas for an independent state.

“Pakistan has co-sponsored the draft resolution … which seeks to implement the conclusions of the ICJ,” said Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, during the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly.

“The ICJ’s advisory opinion marks a milestone of justice, an expression of equity, and a flame of hope,” he added.

Akram highlighted the resolution demanded Israel’s “immediate, complete, and unconditional” withdrawal from Palestinian territories, reparations for the damage caused, an immediate end to its unlawful policies, compliance with ICJ orders and the assurance of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

The Pakistani diplomat said the draft resolution also recommended holding Israel accountable for its violations of international law and bearing legal consequences for all its “wrongful” actions by establishing an “international register of damage” to assist in reparations.

Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”

The ICJ ruling came against the backdrop of Israel’s devastating 11-month military assault on Gaza, which began last October. The world court also found Israel’s use of natural resources in the occupied territories “inconsistent” with its obligations under international law as an occupying power.

Topics: Pakistan ICJ verdict Palestine Ambassador Munir Akram

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