You are here

‘Important to show respect,’ says Pakistan pacer Rauf after spat with fan 

‘Important to show respect,’ says Pakistan pacer Rauf after spat with fan 
Haris Rauf of Pakistan looks on during the ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 match between India and Pakistan at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 09, 2024 in New York, New York.(AFP)
Short Url

https://arab.news/97r25

Updated 19 June 2024
Follow

‘Important to show respect,’ says Pakistan pacer Rauf after spat with fan 

‘Important to show respect,’ says Pakistan pacer Rauf after spat with fan 
  • Video of Rauf charging angrily at a fan in the US goes viral on social media 
  • Pakistan Cricket Board chairman warns of legal action if fan doesn’t apologize
Updated 19 June 2024
Shahjahan Khurram
Follow

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf urged fans to respect cricketers and their families after a video of his spat with a fan went viral on social media, days after Pakistan failed to qualify for the second round of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. 

In a video that has gone viral on social media, Rauf can be seen talking to a few people as he stands with his wife somewhere in the United States. One of the men uses an expletive against Rauf at which the fast bowler can be seen rushing across a hedge toward the group as one of the men tries to stop him. 

The video appears to be shot in the United States. Pakistan’s last group-stage match at the T20 World Cup being held in the USA and West Indies was played in Lauderhill against Ireland. The green shirts won the fixture narrowly but were unable to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the tournament, having lost to minnows US and arch-rivals India earlier this month. 

Pakistan’s poor performance in the megaevent has enraged cricket fans and commentators alike. Many of them have called on skipper Babar Azam to resign and urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to probe the national team’s hapless performance in the tournament. 

“As public figures, we are open to receiving all kinds of feedback from the public. They are entitled to support or criticize us,” Rauf wrote on social media platform X. 

“Nevertheless, when it comes to my parent and my family, I will not hesitate to respond accordingly. It is important to show respect toward people and their families, irrespective of their professions.”

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi took to social media to address the “appalling” incident, warning that such acts would not be tolerated. 

“Those who are involved must immediately apologize to Haris Rauf, failing which we will pursue legal action against the individual responsible,” he wrote on X. 

Compared to other Pakistani pacers, Rauf fared better in the T20 World Cup. The fiery pacer, known for clocking above 150 km/h on pitches that favor bounce and speed, grabbed seven wickets in four bowling innings, at an economy rate of 6.73. 

Topics: Haris Rauf t20 world cup 2024

Pakistan government to set up central body to promote tourism — minister

Pakistan government to set up central body to promote tourism — minister
Updated 22 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan government to set up central body to promote tourism — minister

Pakistan government to set up central body to promote tourism — minister
  • Inaugural National Tourism Awards 2024 held in Islamabad on World Tourism Day
  • Pakistan tourism sector contributes 5.8 percent to GDP, employs over 4.7 million people
Updated 22 sec ago
Falak Mahmood Khan

ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary said on Friday the government planned to set up a “central body” to promote Pakistan as a tourist destination, as the inaugural National Tourism Awards of Excellence were held in Islamabad.

Organized by Discover Pakistan in collaboration with the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), the awards aim to recognize and honor contributions of individuals and organizations in the tourism and hospitality sectors across Pakistan. The event had 300 participants, including diplomats, senior government officials and private sector stakeholders, and awards were distributed in 20 categories.

“Government is trying to work to create a central body to promote Pakistan as a tourist destination and to coordinate with the provinces, so with this central body, I think the tourism development will also get more boost,” Chaudhary told Arab News on the sideline of the awards. 

The tourism sector contributes 5.8 percent to the national GDP and more than 4.7 million people are employed in the sector, Aftab Rana, PTDC Managing Director, told Arab News. 

“So, by promoting tourism, on the one hand, we can improve the economy of Pakistan and on the other hand, we can create lots of jobs for young people,” Rana added. 

The previous government of then PM Imran Khan in 2019 loosened travel restrictions in the hope of reviving tourism by offering visas on arrival to visitors from 50 countries and electronic visas to 175 nationalities.

World Tourism Day, observed annually on September 27, underscores the role of tourism in promoting economic growth, cultural exchange and sustainability. This year’s theme, “Tourism & Peace,” emphasizes the power of tourism to connect people across borders, fostering mutual respect, reducing tensions and building global harmony. 

The day also highlights tourism’s contributions to job creation, cultural preservation and responsible travel.

Topics: tourism Ahsan Iqbal

Punjab government bans public gatherings in Rawalpindi ahead of PTI protest today

Punjab government bans public gatherings in Rawalpindi ahead of PTI protest today
Updated 27 September 2024
Follow

Punjab government bans public gatherings in Rawalpindi ahead of PTI protest today

Punjab government bans public gatherings in Rawalpindi ahead of PTI protest today
  • PTI first announced it would hold rally on Sept. 28, then said it would organize “peaceful protests” instead
  • PTI is aiming to hold large rallies across Pakistan to build pressure for ex-PM Imran Khan’s release from prison
Updated 27 September 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government on Friday imposed Section 144 in Rawalpindi district for two days, banning public gatherings as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party called on supporters to gather for a protest at a public park today, Saturday. 
The PTI announced earlier this week it would hold a rally in Rawalpindi on Sept. 28 but then said on Thursday it was canceling the gathering on the instructions of party founder and ex-premier Imran Khan and would hold “peaceful protests” instead on the same day. 
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, a key Khan ally, in a message on X on Friday, called on party supporters to gather at Rawalpindi’s Liaqat Bagh park the following afternoon. 
A notification issued by the Punjab Home Department dated Sept. 27 did not name any outfit but said a political party had planned a demonstration for Saturday, warning that “miscreants” and “mischief mongers can take advantage of the … protest to carry out subversive/anti-state activities … to fulfil their nefarious designs.”
It added that Section 144(6) had been imposed in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakwal and Attock “to maintain law and order situation” and “ensure [the] security of the people and installations/buildings against any potential threat or untoward activity.” 
Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
The notification said the district administration was prohibiting “all kinds of political assemblies, gatherings, sits-in, rallies, demonstrations, jalsas, protests and such like other activities” on the weekend and had also banned people from carrying weapons in Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakal and Attock districts.
Taking to X, Omar Ayub Khan called on people to gather at Liaqat Bagh, a famous park on Murree Road in Rawalpindi.
“Tomorrow, Sept. 28, 2024, Saturday, god willing, at 2pm you have to come in large numbers to Liaqat Bagh where we will have a protest. It is our legal and constitutional right, for Prime Minister Imran Khan, for Pakistan, and for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.”

Following rallies this month in Islamabad and Lahore, the PTI announced this week it would hold public gatherings in Rawalpindi and Lahore on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 respectively to build pressure for Khan’s release. 
The ex-PM has been in jail since August last year on multiple charges including corruption, sedition and terrorism. Khan says the cases against him are politically motivated to keep him and his party away from politics. 
The PTI’s last two rallies were not without complications. The Sept. 8 rally in Islamabad was first planned for July and then August but was postponed both times as the party was denied permission to hold it by the district administration which cited security threats and a lack of resources to manage large gatherings. 
After the Islamabad rally, a number of PTI legislators were arrested on charges of violating an agreement on the basis of which permission for the rally was given, including abiding by a time limit and supporters sticking to certain routes to reach the designated venue for the rally on Islamabad’s outskirts. 
Last Saturday’s gathering in Lahore also came to an abrupt end after authorities cut off electricity supply to the venue after the 3-6pm deadline expired. 
Khan’s party says the challenges in holding rallies are part of an over year-long crackdown it has faced since protesters allegedly linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after the former premier’s brief arrest the same day in a land graft case.
Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
Khan, who has been in jail since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.

 

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

Pakistan delegation walks out as Israeli PM takes podium to address UNGA

Pakistan delegation walks out as Israeli PM takes podium to address UNGA
Updated 27 September 2024
Follow

Pakistan delegation walks out as Israeli PM takes podium to address UNGA

Pakistan delegation walks out as Israeli PM takes podium to address UNGA
  • Over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched a war on Gaza in October last year
  • Netanyahu’s speech on Friday dampened hopes for a ceasefire that could head off an all-out regional war
Updated 27 September 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani delegation to the UN General Assembly staged a walkout in protest as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the podium, vowing to continue Israel’s attacks on Iranian-backed fighters in Lebanon in a closely watched United Nations speech on Friday.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in Oct 2023, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other multilateral platforms and demanded international powers and bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza. The South Asian country has also dispatched several aid consignments for Palestine.
Video footage widely shared on social media showed the Pakistani delegation walking out of the UNGA hall.
“Pakistani delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif walked out as Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahi took the podium after PM Shehbaz’s speech,” the foreign office said, as it shared a video of the walkout with reporters. 
Netanyahu’s speech on Friday dampened hopes for a ceasefire that could head off an all-out regional war.
“As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely,” Netanyahu told the UNGA, referring to escalating violence between the Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel.
“Israel has been tolerating this intolerable situation for nearly a year. Well, I’ve come here today to say enough is enough.”
Several delegations including Pakistan’s walked out as Netanyahu approached the lectern while supporters in the gallery cheered.
In southern Lebanon, Israel continued to strike Hezbollah targets while diplomats at the UN voiced fears the attacks could flare into a wider war that draws in Israel’s arch-foe, Iran.
In his speech, Netanyahu sought to pin blame for the conflict on Iran, whose delegation was absent for the speech. He said Israel was defending itself against Tehran on seven fronts, including against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthis in Yemen.
“There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach. And that’s true of the entire Middle East. Far from being lambs led to the slaughter, Israel soldiers have fought back with incredible courage,” Netanyahu said.
“I have another message for this assembly and for the world outside this hall: We are winning,” he said. “We’ll continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are made.”
During the speech, Netanyahu cited the presence in the hall of families of hostages seized by Hamas on Oct. 7. The war began when Hamas gunmen stormed Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel’s military has leveled swaths of the besieged Palestinian enclave, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing more than 41,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
With inputs from Reuters

Topics: Pakistan at UNGA Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu UNGA 79

Related

Pakistani PM says Israel threatening to drag entire Middle East into war video
Pakistan
Pakistani PM says Israel threatening to drag entire Middle East into war
Pakistan invites investment from American banks as it seeks sustainable external financing video
Pakistan
Pakistan invites investment from American banks as it seeks sustainable external financing

Pakistan removes floor price for rice exports

Pakistan removes floor price for rice exports
Updated 27 September 2024
Reuters
Follow

Pakistan removes floor price for rice exports

Pakistan removes floor price for rice exports
  • Minimum export price for rice last set in November to be removed “effective immediately,” commerce ministry says
  • Earlier this month, India removed a floor price for basmati rice exports to help farmers struggling with debt 
Updated 27 September 2024
Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan removed a floor price for rice exports on Friday, the country’s commerce ministry said, following a similar move by neighboring India.
The Ministry of Commerce said in a written notification that the minimum export price for rice which was last set in November would be removed “effective immediately.”
Earlier this month, India removed a floor price for basmati rice exports to help farmers struggling with debt and higher costs boost overseas sales of the premium grade just weeks ahead of the arrival of the new-season crop.
India and Pakistan, the only growers of basmati, both try to promote the premium grade of rice in a manner similar to French Champagne or Darjeeling tea.

Topics: Pakistan Rice Export

Pakistan delays PIA auction for third time as bidders seek more time

Pakistan delays PIA auction for third time as bidders seek more time
Updated 27 September 2024
Follow

Pakistan delays PIA auction for third time as bidders seek more time

Pakistan delays PIA auction for third time as bidders seek more time
  • No new date given for auction with the bidding process initially scheduled to be completed on Oct. 1 
  • Privatization commission spokesman says PIA’s cumulative losses have surpassed $2.86 billion
Updated 27 September 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has delayed the auction of national carrier Pakistan International Airlines for the third time with no new date announced as potential bidders seek more time and information to assess the airline, a spokesman for the privatization ministry said on Friday.
The disposal of the flag carrier is a step that past elected governments have steered away from as it is likely to be highly unpopular, but progress on privatization is a precondition for cash-strapped Pakistan for an IMF bailout agreement approved this week.
The government announced in June it had selected six companies qualified to bid for PIA out of a pool of eight after receiving expressions of interest. The initial plan was to finalize the deal to sell PIA on the country’s Independence Day, Aug. 14, but the plan was delayed following requests from bidders who were waiting for the airline’s latest audited accounts, aircraft lease agreements and clarity on flights to Europe, which are currently banned. This was followed by September and October dates for the auction, but those have also not materialized. 
Pakistan plans to sell more than 51 percent of its stake in the loss-making airline as part of the economic reforms suggested by the IMF which approved a long-awaited 37-month $7 billion bailout deal on Wednesday that will require “sound policies and reforms” to strengthen macroeconomic stability and address structural challenges alongside “continued strong financial support from Pakistan’s development and bilateral partners.”
“Bidding is postponed but no new date is given officially,” Dr. Ahsan Ishaq, a spokesperson for privatization ministry, told Arab News on Friday.
He said the ministry had received “no official reason” from the bidders to delay the process but confirmed that they had been requesting more time and information to assess the carrier.
In August, the country’s central bank refused to grant a waiver or exemption to prospective buyers regarding PIA’s commercial bank loans of Rs268 billion ($971.1 million) and other financial guarantees in dollar terms, a development viewed as a setback to the privatization bid.
Dr. Ishaq said his ministry was in touch with the central bank to resolve the issue regarding all outstanding commercial loans of the national carrier before its final bid.
According to the ministry, the pre-qualified bidders for PIA include Air Blue, Arif Habib Corporation, Blue World City, Fly Jinnah, Pak Ethanol (Pvt) Consortium and YB Holdings Consortium.
Official data available with Arab News shows there are 88 commercially operated state-owned enterprises in Pakistan, with collective losses of up to Rs730.258 billion ($2.61 billion) in the fiscal year 2022 (FY22).
In its five-year privatization plan ending in 2029, the government has approved 24 state-owned enterprises for sale, including PIA.
The top ten loss-making Pakistani entities, including PIA with Rs97.5 billion, the National Highways Authority at Rs168.5 billion and the Peshawar Electric Supply Company Limited with Rs102.2 billion, accounted for cumulative losses of Rs650.197 billion ($2.33 billion) in FY22, according to official data.
In contrast, the remaining enterprises reported combined losses of Rs80 billion ($286 million) during the same fiscal year.
Dr. Ishaq said PIA’s cumulative losses alone had surpassed Rs800 billion ($2.86 billion), with the total asset valuation of the airline standing at approximately Rs160 billion ($572 million).
Haroon Sharif, a former member of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization and a senior economist, said the government should have started the privatization process with “simpler transactions” to improve the confidence of investors instead of trying to sell complicated organizations like PIA.
“It is difficult to smoothly privatize PIA as its accounts, assets and financial records are not as transparent as required by the bidders,” he told Arab News, suggesting that the government bifurcate the PIA into four or five different sections and privatize them in parts.
“The potential bidders will definitely want to see clear and transparent audits, assets and liabilities of PIA before going ahead for the final auction, so that’s why this may take some time,” Sharif said. “The government should also refrain from privatizing the national carrier in haste, otherwise it will backfire.”
With a fleet of 34 aircraft comprising 17 Airbus A320s, 12 Boeing B777s and 5 ATRs, the airline loses traffic to Middle Eastern carriers, who have a market share of 60 percent, because of an absence of direct flights to destinations.
The carrier has air service pacts with 87 countries, and landing slots at key destinations such as London Heathrow.
The re-organization plan of the business will separate the aviation-related aspects from non-core components, so freeing the operating subsidiary of a large portion of legacy debt.

Topics: PIA privatization

Latest updates

Saudi FM urges Security Council to get its act together and stop the Mideast crisis from escalating further
Saudi FM urges Security Council to get its act together and stop the Mideast crisis from escalating further
Blinken questions China peace push over Russia help
Blinken questions China peace push over Russia help
Turkish builder jailed for 865 years over quake collapse
Turkish builder jailed for 865 years over quake collapse
Hezbollah reckons with future amid Beirut strikes
Hezbollah reckons with future amid Beirut strikes
Earth will have a temporary ‘mini moon’ for two months
Earth will have a temporary ‘mini moon’ for two months

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.