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Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten joins team in Leeds ahead of England series

Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten joins team in Leeds ahead of England series
Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten (first from left), Senior Team Manager Wahab Riaz (2L), skipper Babar Azam (2R), and Assistant Coach Azhar Mahmood (R) pose for a picture holding a Pakistani team shirt in Leeds, England, on May 19, 2024. (@TheRealPCB)
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Updated 20 May 2024
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Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten joins team in Leeds ahead of England series

Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten joins team in Leeds ahead of England series
  • Former South African batter Gary Kirsten will oversee Pakistan’s training session on Monday, confirms Pakistan Cricket Board
  • Four-match series against 2022 world champions England will serve as preparation for Pakistan ahead of T20 World Cup in June
Updated 20 May 2024
Shahjahan Khurram
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan men’s white-ball Head Coach Gary Kirsten formally kicked off his assignment on Sunday after joining the squad in Leeds, as the green shirts prepare for a challenging England T20I series with the World Cup weeks away. 

Kirsten and former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie were announced as Pakistan’s new white-ball and red-ball head coaches respectively last month. Gillespie will arrive in Pakistan in July, the PCB said, in time for the World Test Championship series at home against Bangladesh.

The former South African top-order batter, 56, played 101 Test matches and 185 ODIs during his career from 1993-2004 in which he scored a total of 14,087 runs and 34 centuries.

Kirsten, who was batting coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Gujarat Titans, was welcomed by the team management and skipper Babar Azam in Leeds on Sunday. Senior Team Manager Wahab Riaz presented Pakistan’s official training jersey to Kirsten, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said. 

“Gary Kirsten will oversee the team’s practice sessions from Monday,” the PCB said. 

Kirsten will get to spend a few days with Azam’s squad before Pakistan faces England in the first T20I of the four-match series at Headingley on May 22. The series will be Pakistan’s last one before the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA in June, where they begin their campaign with a game against USA in Dallas on June 6. 

Squads:

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.

England: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

Schedule for England series:

22 May – v England, 1st T20I, Leeds

25 May – v England, 2nd T20I, Birmingham

28 May – v England 3rd T20I, Cardiff

30 May – v England, 4th T20I, The Oval

Topics: Pakistan Cricket Gary Kirsten

Pakistan arrests suspected human smuggler behind Morocco migrant boat tragedy

Pakistan arrests suspected human smuggler behind Morocco migrant boat tragedy
Updated 8 sec ago
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Pakistan arrests suspected human smuggler behind Morocco migrant boat tragedy

Pakistan arrests suspected human smuggler behind Morocco migrant boat tragedy
  • Boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants including 66 Pakistanis
  • Moroccan authorities have said 36 people were rescued, survivors include 22 Pakistanis
Updated 8 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Thursday it had arrested a human trafficker suspected of illegally sending Pakistanis to Spain on a migrant boat that capsized off the coast of Morocco last week.
The boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders. Moroccan authorities said a day later 36 people were rescued from the vessel which left Mauritania on Jan. 2, while the Pakistani Foreign Office has said the survivors include 22 Pakistanis.
The tragedy has once again underscored the perilous journeys many migrants, including Pakistanis, embark on due to conflict and economic instability in their home countries.
“Human smuggler involved in Moroccan boat accident arrested,” the FIA said in a statement, identifying the suspect as Muhammad Aslam and saying he was arrested after a raid in the small town of Sambrial in Pakistan’s Punjab province. 

Ahsan Shahzad, father of Suffian Ali, one of the victims of a migrant boat that capsized in West Africa’s Atlantic coastline, is consoled by relatives at his home in the village of Dhola, Lalamusa district, Pakistan on January 17, 2024. (AP)

The statement said Aslam and his accomplices had taken Rs5.35 million from the family of Aamir Ali, who died in the boat accident, and had tried to smuggle him to Spain via Mauritania.
“A case has been registered against the accused and an investigation has been launched. More arrests are expected after the accused are identified,” the FIA said. 

Ahsan Shahzad, shows a picture of his son, Suffian Ali, one of the victims of a migrant boat that capsized in West Africa’s Atlantic coastline, on his cell phone at his home in the village of Dhola, Lalamusa district, Pakistan on January 17, 2024. (AP)

A record 10,457 migrants, or 30 people a day, died trying to reach Spain in 2024, most while attempting to cross the Atlantic route from West African countries such as Mauritania and Senegal to the Canary islands, according to Walking Borders.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea. More recently, five Pakistani nationals died in a shipwreck off the southern Greek island of Gavdos on Dec. 14.

Mohammad Akram, left, father of Abu Bakar, one of the victims of a migrant boat that capsized in West Africa’s Atlantic coastline, is consoled by relatives at his home, in Jura village, in the Lalamusa district in Pakistan on January 17, 2024. (AP)

The Pakistani government has ramped up efforts in recent months to combat human smugglers facilitating dangerous journeys for illegal immigrants to Europe, resulting in several arrests.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also urged increased collaboration with international agencies like Interpol to ensure swift action against human trafficking networks.

Mohammad Akram shows a picture of his son Abu Bakar, one of the victims of a migrant boat that capsized in West Africa’s Atlantic coastline, on his cell phone at his home, in Jura village, in the Lalamusa district in Pakistan on January 17, 2024. (AP)

 

Topics: Federal Investigation Agency PAkistani migrants anti-human trafficking migrant shipwreck

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Imran Khan calls off talks with Pakistan government over deadlock on judicial commissions

Imran Khan calls off talks with Pakistan government over deadlock on judicial commissions
Updated 55 min 26 sec ago
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Imran Khan calls off talks with Pakistan government over deadlock on judicial commissions

Imran Khan calls off talks with Pakistan government over deadlock on judicial commissions
  • First round of talks aimed at cooling political instability took place on Dec. 23 with two follow up sessions on Jan. 2 and 16
  • At last round of talks, PTI gave government seven days to announce judicial commissions into May 2023 and Nov. 2024 protests
Updated 55 min 26 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has called off negotiations with the government over its failure to establish judicial commissions to investigate violence at anti-government protests organized by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), party chairman Gohar Khan said on Thursday.
Negotiations started last month with the aim of cooling political temperatures in the South Asian nation and three rounds have been held so far. 
The PTI’s demands to the government revolve around the release of all political prisoners including Khan, and the formation of two judicial commissions to probe into violent protest rallies, including one on May 9 , 2023, when PTI supporters rampaged through military offices and installations, and a second one on Nov. 26, 2024 to demand Khan’s release, in which the government says four troops were killed. At the last meeting on Jan. 16, the PTI had given the government seven days to announce the truth commissions, a deadline that expired today, Thursday. 
A Pakistani court last week sentenced Khan to 14 years in prison in a land corruption case, a setback to the nascent talks’ process.
“We [PTI] had given the government time of seven days [to form commissions],” Gohar told reporters outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where Khan has been incarcerated since 2023. 
“Khan had made it clear that if the formation of the commissions is not announced during this time, then further rounds of talks will not continue … It is sad that the government did not announce anything till today. Hence Khan has called off the negotiations.”
Irfan Siddiqui, the spokesperson for the government’s negotiation committee, said on Wednesday the government would respond to the PTI party’s written demands on Jan. 28.
The talks opened last month as Khan had threatened a civil disobedience movement and amid growing concerns he could face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9 protests.
Khan’s first arrest in May 2023 in the land graft case in which he was sentenced last week sparked countrywide protests that saw his supporters attack and ransack military installations in an unprecedented backlash against Pakistan’s powerful army generals. Although Khan was released days later, he was rearrested in August that year after being convicted in a corruption case. He remains in prison and says all cases against him are politically motivated.
Protests demanding Khan’s release in November also turned violent, with the PTI saying 12 supporters were killed while the state said four troops had died.

Topics: Imran Khan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party

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Pakistan holds first training session for Hajj 2025 pilgrims

Pakistan holds first training session for Hajj 2025 pilgrims
Updated 23 January 2025
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Pakistan holds first training session for Hajj 2025 pilgrims

Pakistan holds first training session for Hajj 2025 pilgrims
  • Around 500 selected pilgrims from the Pakistani capital, suburban areas attended the training workshop
  • The first phase of pilgrim training sessions will continue across the country till February 27, ministry says
Updated 23 January 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry has held its first training session in Islamabad for pilgrims selected for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, it said on Thursday.
Around 500 selected pilgrims from the federal capital and its suburban areas attended the training workshop, who were briefed on administrative matters and Hajj rituals.
Hajj pilgrims are being provided training through audio-visual devices and other materials, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry.
“The first phase of training will continue across the country till February 27,” the ministry said. “The second phase of training will start after Ramadan.”
The development comes days after Pakistan began training of pilgrims, with the first session in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia this month signed the Hajj agreement 2025, under which 179,210 pilgrims from the South Asian country will perform the annual pilgrimage this year. The quota is divided equally between government and private schemes.
Pakistan’s latest Hajj policy has allowed pilgrims to make payments in installments for the first time. Under this scheme, the first installment of Rs200,000 ($717) had to be submitted with the application, the second installment of Rs400,000 ($1,435) within 10 days of balloting and the remaining amount by Feb. 10 this year.
The Pakistani religious affairs ministry has also launched the Pak Hajj 2025 mobile application, available for both Android and iPhone users, to guide pilgrims.
Additionally, the government has announced a reduction in airfare, lowering ticket prices for federal program pilgrims to Rs220,000 [$785.41], down from last year’s Rs234,000 [$835.39].
The Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, and private carriers have agreed to transport pilgrims this year.

Topics: Hajj 2025 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims Pakistani Hajj mission

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Pakistan begins mandatory Hajj training by holding first session in Peshawar

Pakistan lawmakers seek Musk apology before Starlink approval

Pakistan lawmakers seek Musk apology before Starlink approval
Updated 23 January 2025
AFP
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Pakistan lawmakers seek Musk apology before Starlink approval

Pakistan lawmakers seek Musk apology before Starlink approval
  • Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet service has applied for a license to operate in Pakistan, but is awaiting clearance before users will be allowed to log on
  • ‘Several senators denounced’ Musk’s ‘anti-Pakistani propaganda’ in recent comments he made on social media platform X, says Senate committee chair
Updated 23 January 2025
AFP

Islamabad: Pakistan senators are demanding an apology from billionaire Elon Musk, a lawmaker told AFP on Thursday, accusing him of “anti-Pakistan propaganda” as he seeks regulatory approval for his Starlink service in the country.
Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet service has applied for a license to operate in Pakistan but is awaiting clearance before users will be allowed to log on.
A senate committee on information technology and telecommunications met Wednesday to hear updates from officials assessing his application.
But committee chair Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan told AFP “several senators denounced” Musk’s “anti-Pakistani propaganda” in recent comments he made on his social media platform X.
Musk has repeatedly highlighted claims that men of Pakistani origin were responsible for a spate of historic rape cases targeting mostly white girls in England.
“It was said that approval should be given on condition of his apology,” Khan told AFP.
“We are not saying it should be a pre-condition but it was a part of the discussion and we can only give our recommendations to the government,” she added.
Musk began launching attacks against the UK government this month after it resisted calls for a national inquiry into the historic abuse cases.
In Rotherham, a town of 265,000 inhabitants, a gang drugged, raped and sexually exploited at least 1,400 girls over a 16-year period from 1997, a public inquiry concluded in 2014.
A series of court cases eventually led to the conviction of dozens of men, mostly of South Asian origin. The victims were vulnerable, mostly white, girls.
An Indian lawmaker made a post on 8 January saying: “They aren’t ASIAN Grooming Gangs but PAKISTANI grooming gangs. Why should Asians take the fall for one absolute rogue nation?“
Musk commented with a message saying: “True.”
The historic abuse cases regularly prompt debate in the UK, where some claim they are used to enflame Islamaphobia while others say they are being quashed to prevent debate.
Whilst Musk’s electric vehicle and space ventures made him a billionaire, he has recently emerged as a political figure affiliated with newly inaugurated President Donald Trump.
Trump has tasked Musk, the world’s richest man, with slashing billions of dollars of federal government spending as head of a new “Department of Government Efficiency.”

Topics: Pakistan Internet Elon Musk satellite

Pakistan minister discusses Afghanistan situation, regional peace in meeting with US congressmen

Pakistan minister discusses Afghanistan situation, regional peace in meeting with US congressmen
Updated 23 January 2025
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Pakistan minister discusses Afghanistan situation, regional peace in meeting with US congressmen

Pakistan minister discusses Afghanistan situation, regional peace in meeting with US congressmen
  • Development comes amid Pakistan’s strained ties with Afghanistan over surge in militant attacks
  • US withdrawal from Afghanistan marked significant shift in regional dynamics and Pak-US relations
Updated 23 January 2025
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has discussed the situation in Afghanistan and peace in South Asia region in a meeting with United States (US) Congressmen Joe Wilson and Rob Bresnahan in Washington, the Pakistani government’s information wing said on Thursday.
The development comes amid Pakistan’s strained relations with Afghanistan over a surge in militant attacks that Islamabad has blamed on militant groups operating out of Afghanistan. Afghanistan denies the allegation.
Most of these attacks have been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group that Pakistan believes to be an ally of the Afghan Taliban rulers and says has been emboldened since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in Aug. 2021.
Naqvi, who is currently on a visit to the US, held separate meetings with both Republican congressmen in Washington, according to the Press Information Department (PID) in Islamabad.
“They exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, promotion of Pakistan-US relations, and establishment of lasting peace in the region, particularly the situation in Afghanistan,” the PID said in a statement.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi (second right) meets United States Congressman Rob Bresnahan in Washington, US, on January 22, 2025. (PID)

During the meetings, both sides highlighted the importance of boosting trade and cultural exchanges to strengthen US-Pakistan relations.
Relations between the US and Pakistan have also seen significant ups and downs in recent years. The countries collaborated during the Cold War and in the fight against Al-Qaeda after 9/11.
However, ties between Washington and Islamabad deteriorated as the former suspected the latter of supporting the Taliban in their 2021 takeover of Kabul, allegations which Islamabad rejected.
Tensions rose further in 2022 when former Pakistan premier Imran Khan accused the Biden administration of orchestrating his ouster via a parliamentary vote, a charge the US denied, and more recently over Pakistan’s missile program.
During the meetings, Naqvi described the US as a “strategic partner” of Pakistan, and hoped that President Donald Trump’s second term would bring new dimensions to Pakistan-US relations
“Both sides explored ways to enhance cooperation in various fields,” the PID added.

Topics: Afghanistan Pakistan

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