Pakistan release Shaheen Afridi from Bangladesh Test squad

Pakistan release Shaheen Afridi from Bangladesh Test squad
Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates after taking the wicket of Bangladesh's Mehidy Hasan Miraz (not pictured) during the fourth day of the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on August 24, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Updated 30 August 2024
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Pakistan release Shaheen Afridi from Bangladesh Test squad

Pakistan release Shaheen Afridi from Bangladesh Test squad
  • Shaheen, who welcomed his first child this month, was not part of the 12-member Pakistan squad announced on Thursday
  • The opening day of the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh was washed out by persistent rain on Friday

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan have released pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi from their squad for the second Test against Bangladesh, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday.
The opening day of the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium was washed out by persistent rain on Friday.
Shaheen, who welcomed his first child this month, was not part of the 12-member Pakistan squad announced on Thursday for the second Test.
“The team management has decided to release Shaheen Shah Afridi from the Test squad to allow him to spend time with his family,” the PCB said in a statement.
Bangladesh lead the two-match series 1-0 after they notched a historic 10-wicket win at the same venue last week when Pakistan were bowled out for an embarrassing 146 in the second innings on the fifth and final day.
Both teams are in the bottom half of the World Test Championship standings with Bangladesh at No. 7 and Pakistan at No. 8, just above last-place West Indies.
Embattled Pakistan, which have lost four Test matches in a row since Shan Masood was elevated as captain last year, haven’t won a home Test since they beat South Africa in December 2021. The remaining four Test matches against New Zealand and Australia were drawn.


Russian embassy says verifying reports of citizen’s abduction in Pakistan’s northwest

Russian embassy says verifying reports of citizen’s abduction in Pakistan’s northwest
Updated 14 sec ago
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Russian embassy says verifying reports of citizen’s abduction in Pakistan’s northwest

Russian embassy says verifying reports of citizen’s abduction in Pakistan’s northwest
  • Statement comes after a militant group claimed it abducted a Russian national in Dera Ismail Khan
  • Local police say they have not been approached by the Russian embassy about the reported abduction

ISLAMABAD: Russia’s embassy in Pakistan said Tuesday it is attempting to verify reports that one of its citizens was abducted in the South Asian nation’s troubled northwest.
The embassy provided no further details in a post on the social media platform X.
The announcement by the embassy came days after a small militant group headed by commander Gul Bahadur said it captured a Russian national in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The group released a photo showing a man sitting with two bearded men. Local police said they have not been approached by the Russian Embassy about the reported abduction.
Insurgents often attack Pakistani security forces and foreigners, especially Chinese working on Chinese-funded projects across the country, but Russians have not previously been targeted.
Most Russians who travel to Pakistan are climbers who scale mountains in the scenic north.


Five private guards killed as gunmen attack dam construction site in southwestern Pakistan

Five private guards killed as gunmen attack dam construction site in southwestern Pakistan
Updated 16 min 42 sec ago
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Five private guards killed as gunmen attack dam construction site in southwestern Pakistan

Five private guards killed as gunmen attack dam construction site in southwestern Pakistan
  • Attack took place near in the Iran border where a private company was working on the construction site
  • The attackers torched the machinery belonging to the firm building the dam before fleeing the scene

QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen attacked an under-construction dam site in southwestern Pakistan late Monday night, killing five private security guards providing protection to laborers and construction machinery in Prom, a remote area of Panjgur district, the local Levies force said.
Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which shares porous borders with Afghanistan and Iran, has been a scene of low-level insurgency for decades. Ethnic Baloch nationalists have long accused the central government of exploiting the province’s natural resources without benefiting its population, though the state denies these allegations.
The late-night attack took place in an area where a private construction company was working near the Iran border, about 65 kilometers from Panjgur city, according to Abdullah Baloch, a Levies personnel who spoke to Arab News. He said the victims were guarding the laborers at the construction site.
“Five people from Panjgur, Quetta, and Sindh province were killed in the attack, and two others sustained bullet injuries and were shifted to a hospital,” he said.
Baloch added that the attackers torched the machinery belonging to a private company working on the dam before fleeing the scene.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, separatist militant groups have previously targeted laborers and attacked construction machinery in the Makran region of Balochistan.
In September, unknown armed men attacked a construction site in Musakhail district, setting six dozers on fire. Earlier this month, at least 21 laborers were killed in an overnight attack on coal mines in Dukki, sparking protests in the area.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the Panjgur attack, directing provincial authorities to identify and punish the perpetrators.
“No one can stop development in Balochistan with such timid attacks,” he said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that there is no space for such miscreants in Pakistan.
Dr. Anwar Aziz, district health officer Panjgur, confirmed that five dead bodies were brought to the hospital before being sent to their native towns.
“Two people with minor bullet wounds were treated and later discharged from the hospital,” he told Arab News.


US stays will respond ‘in due course’ to lawmakers’ call for Imran Khan’s release

US stays will respond ‘in due course’ to lawmakers’ call for Imran Khan’s release
Updated 47 min 48 sec ago
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US stays will respond ‘in due course’ to lawmakers’ call for Imran Khan’s release

US stays will respond ‘in due course’ to lawmakers’ call for Imran Khan’s release
  • US lawmakers wrote to Biden last week, asking him to secure release of political prisoners in Pakistan
  • Matthew Miller highlights Washington’s interest in strong Pakistani civil society, democratic institutions

ISLAMABAD: A US State Department official confirmed on Monday that the administration in Washington had received a letter from over 60 Democratic lawmakers urging President Joe Biden to secure the release of Pakistani political prisoners, including former prime minister Imran Khan, though he was reticent to discuss the likely response.
US lawmakers urged President Biden last week to address concerns over alleged irregularities in Pakistan’s February 8 general elections and opposition mistreatment, calling for human rights to be made a central pillar of US policy toward Pakistan.
However, the Pakistani authorities described the letter as “counterproductive,” saying it was not in line with the “positive dynamics” of ties between the two states.
Matthew Miller, the US State Department Spokesperson, was asked about the letter and the Biden administration’s position on it during a news conference.
“We’ve received it and will respond in due course to the members,” Miller responded succinctly.
He was asked about the recent release of ex-premier Khan’s wife and sisters from prison, where they were detained on various charges last week, as the questioner wondered if the development was linked to US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy and Human Rights Monica Jacobsen’s recent meeting with Pakistan’s federal human rights secretary in Islamabad.
“So, all I will say about that is that the deputy assistant secretary in that meeting emphasized the important role of human rights, support for a vibrant civil society, and strong democratic institutions play in our comprehensive US-Pakistan relationship,” the State Department official said.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has frequently complained about facing a state crackdown, with several top leaders imprisoned for over a year, including the former prime minister, who has been tried in multiple cases ranging from treason to corruption.
Khan says all cases against him are fabricated to keep him out of politics.
The PTI also maintains it was not allowed to campaign freely ahead of the last general elections, which were marred by a mobile Internet shutdown on election day and unusually delayed results, leading to accusations of rigging and raising concerns from rights groups and foreign governments.


Pakistan dispatches 17th relief consignment for war-afflicted people of Gaza, Lebanon

Pakistan dispatches 17th relief consignment for war-afflicted people of Gaza, Lebanon
Updated 29 October 2024
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Pakistan dispatches 17th relief consignment for war-afflicted people of Gaza, Lebanon

Pakistan dispatches 17th relief consignment for war-afflicted people of Gaza, Lebanon
  • Consignment comprises 17 tons of supplies including tents, food tins, dry milk, rice, clothes, hygiene kits and medicines 
  • Pakistan vows to continue relief shipments in the backdrop of Israel’s military offensives in Gaza and Lebanon 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched the 17th relief consignment for the war-affected people of Gaza and Lebanon on Tuesday, state-run media reported, vowing to continue relief supplies amid Israel’s ongoing military campaigns in the Middle East.

Pakistan has dispatched relief items including winterized tents, food items and hygiene kits to people in Lebanon and Gaza as Israel scales its military operations in both areas. Israel’s relentless bombing in Gaza has killed over 42,000 people, among them women and children, as UN agencies and humanitarian organizations warn of the outbreak of diseases and starvation in the area. 

The NDMA dispatched the relief consignment in collaboration with the Pakistani charity organization, the Al-Khidmat Foundation, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said in a report. The consignment comprised 17 tons of supplies including tents, food tins, dry milk, rice, clothes, hygiene kits and medicines. 

“NDMA has dispatched the 17th relief consignment for the war-affected people of Gaza and Lebanon,” APP said. “The government has sent 17 aid consignments to Gaza, Palestine, with a total volume of 1610 tons.”

Relief supplies for the people of Gaza and Lebanon are loaded onto a plane in Karachi, Pakistan, on October 29, 2024. (PID)

Representatives from Pakistan’s foreign ministry, the NDMA and Al-Khidmat Foundation attended the send-off ceremony held at the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.

Pakistan has also set up a special account titled: “Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Gaza and Lebanon,” under PM Shehbaz Sharif’s directions, for donations for the people of Gaza and Lebanon.

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, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other multilateral platforms and demanded international powers and bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza.


Kashmiri leopard succumbs to gunshot wounds in Islamabad

Kashmiri leopard succumbs to gunshot wounds in Islamabad
Updated 8 min 23 sec ago
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Kashmiri leopard succumbs to gunshot wounds in Islamabad

Kashmiri leopard succumbs to gunshot wounds in Islamabad
  • Reports reveal multiple bullet shots and spine injuries that caused internal damage
  • The leopard named Nawab was over six years old and weighed around 63 kilograms

ISLAMABAD: A male leopard succumbed to injuries while being treated for gunshot wounds in Islamabad, the federal capital’s wildlife department confirmed on Monday, after rescuing him from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) region.

Pakistan’s northern areas, including AJK, are home to diverse wildlife such as snow leopards, ibex, and Himalayan brown bears.

Despite conservation efforts, exotic animals often face threats from poaching and habitat loss. Leopards are particularly vulnerable, with illegal hunting and trafficking putting immense pressure on their population.

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) said it had rescued the leopard named Nawab from the Hatila Balla area of Jhelum district and shifted to a veterinary clinic for medical treatment after a distress call from the AJK Wildlife Department.

“Sad News! Nawab, a majestic 6.5-[year]-old male leopard rescued from AJK, succumbs to bullet injuries,” it said in a social media post. “IWMB mourns the loss & reiterates its commitment to protecting Pakistan’s wildlife.”

 

 

The IWMB spokesperson, Omer Bilal, told the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) the leopard’s X-ray reports revealed spine injuries and multiple bullet wounds that caused severe internal damage to Nawab who weighed around 63 kilograms.

Bilal said the leopard was a “healthy and beautiful” animal before being shot.

“His tragic demise highlights the urgent need for better conservation efforts and enhanced protection of our endangered wildlife,” he added.

The doctor treating the leopard revealed that a bullet had been removed from his vertebra column while another was stuck inside. He said the entire spinal cord was damaged while vertebras were also fractured.

The IWMB has reiterated its commitment to safeguarding Pakistan’s precious wildlife from hunters and poachers after the incident, urging the public to report illegal hunting of exotic animals to the dedicated helpline.