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Masood says ‘hurt’ Pakistan aim to end win drought against England

Masood says ‘hurt’ Pakistan aim to end win drought against England
Pakistan's captain Shan Masood speaks during a press conference at the National Stadium in Karachi on September 30, 2024, ahead of the Test cricket series between Pakistan and England. (AFP)
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Updated 1 min 47 sec ago
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Masood says ‘hurt’ Pakistan aim to end win drought against England

Masood says ‘hurt’ Pakistan aim to end win drought against England
  • Pakistan have gone winless in 10 home Tests since February 2021
  • They were handed a 2-0 defeat by Bangladesh earlier this month 
Updated 1 min 47 sec ago
AFP
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KARACHI: Pakistan captain Shan Masood on Monday backed Babar Azam to find his batting touch as his side look to end their win drought in the three-match Test series against England starting next week.
Pakistan have gone winless in 10 home Tests since February 2021, the latest humiliation being swept 2-0 by Bangladesh earlier this month.
They also lost 3-0 in Australia earlier this year.
“It’s not acceptable for Pakistan to not win a home Test for that long and we accept the responsibility for that,” said Masood at a press conference in Karachi.
“As a cricketing nation we all are hurt right now.”
Masood was confident that batting great Azam would soon be back to his best after managing just 64 runs in the two Bangladesh Tests.
“We all know Babar is one of the top batters in the world and despite not scoring big runs the good thing is that he is not out of form, we have to back him,” said Masood.
Azam has not passed fifty in Tests in 16 innings dating back to December 2022.
England arrive in Pakistan on October 2 with the first Test starting in Multan five days later.
The second Test is also in Multan from October 15 while the final match is in Rawalpindi from October 24.
“I assure you that everyone is eager to stage a comeback in this series and take Pakistan cricket in a good direction,” said Masood.
England swept the series 3-0 when they last visited Pakistan in 2022.
“For me, pressure is a thing of privilege because leading your country is a great honor but with it comes responsibility,” said Masood, whose captaincy tenure runs until May 2025.
“If results are good then I will serve, if not then I will be punished. I don’t run away from challenges and this coming series is also very challenging.”

Topics: Shaan Masood Pakistan cricket team

Pakistan, Oman to collaborate on madrassah curriculum development, student exchanges

Pakistan, Oman to collaborate on madrassah curriculum development, student exchanges
Updated 11 sec ago
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Pakistan, Oman to collaborate on madrassah curriculum development, student exchanges

Pakistan, Oman to collaborate on madrassah curriculum development, student exchanges
  • Pakistan religious affairs minister is on a three-day visit to Oman
  • Meets Omani counterpart Mohammed bin Said bin Khalfan Al-Mamari
Updated 11 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain met his Omani counterpart on Monday and discussed collaborating on curriculum development at religious schools and establishing student exchange programs between the two nations. 

Hussain is on a three-day visit to Oman where he will meet top officials and inaugurate a new branch of the Pakistan International School in Muscat. 

On Sunday, both countries agreed on the early finalization of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labor and manpower exchange.

“Both sides also agreed on possible cooperation to improve the curriculum of religious schools in accordance with Islamic teachings,” Radio Pakistan reported after Hussain met his counterpart Mohammed bin Said bin Khalfan Al-Mamari on Monday.

“Hussain proposed establishing student exchange programs for the study of Sharia, the teachings of the Qur’an, and Islamic history in the religious institutions of both countries.”

The first Pakistani Business Expo will be held in Muscat from Oct. 13-14.

In August, Islamabad invited Oman to invest in its agriculture, mineral and IT sectors under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military hybrid body set up last year to attract foreign investment in Pakistan, especially from Gulf nations. 

Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan has also said Pakistan will set up a new trade mission in Oman as the country strives to enhance trade relations, particularly with the Middle East.

Topics: Pakistan Oman ties

Pakistan court rejects bail pleas of ex-PM Khan, wife in new graft case

Pakistan court rejects bail pleas of ex-PM Khan, wife in new graft case
Updated 12 min 59 sec ago
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Pakistan court rejects bail pleas of ex-PM Khan, wife in new graft case

Pakistan court rejects bail pleas of ex-PM Khan, wife in new graft case
  • Khan and Bushra are accused of misusing power to acquire gifts from state repository when Khan was PM from 2018-22
  • Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says all cases against him are motivated to keep him out of politics
Updated 12 min 59 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Monday rejected the bail pleas of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Khan in a case in which they are accused of misusing power to acquire gifts from a state repository when Khan was premier from 2018-22.

Khan was convicted in four cases after being arrested in August last year. Two of the verdicts have since been suspended and he was acquitted in the remaining two. However, the National Accountability Bureau earlier this year filed what has come to be popularly called the new Toshakhana reference involving a jewelry set worth over €380,000 that was gifted to the former first lady by a foreign dignitary and which the couple are accused of undervaluing and buying at a lesser price from the state repository. 

Khan and Bushra, who deny wrongdoing, are set to be indicted in the case on Oct. 2.

“A court on Monday rejected the bail pleas filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party founder Imran Khan and his wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana case where they face allegations of misusing power to acquire state gifts,” Pakistan’s top news channel, Geo News, reported. 

All major media outlets also reported the development. 

Khan and Bushra, already in prison at the time, were re-arrested on July 13 shortly after a district and sessions court ordered their immediate release after accepting their appeals against a ruling that they had violated the country’s marriage law.

The couple were sentenced to seven years in prison and fined in February by a court that ruled their 2018 marriage broke the law. Bushra was accused of not completing the waiting period mandated by Islam, called “Iddat,” after divorcing her previous husband and marrying Khan.

At that point, two of Khan’s convictions had been suspended by the court and he had been acquitted in the third one so the Iddat case was the only one keeping him in prison.

However, hours after the local court’s verdict in their favor, the new Toshakhana case was filed by NAB and the former prime minister and his wife were arrested, ruling out the possibility of them walking out of jail.

Khan’s convictions had already ruled the 71-year-old out of Feb. 8 general elections as convicted felons cannot run for public office under Pakistani law. Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says all cases against him are motivated to keep him out of politics.

Topics: Imran Khan Bushra Bibi PTI

Pakistani woman in high-profile hit-and-run case granted bail on drug charges

Pakistani woman in high-profile hit-and-run case granted bail on drug charges
Updated 28 min 57 sec ago
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Pakistani woman in high-profile hit-and-run case granted bail on drug charges

Pakistani woman in high-profile hit-and-run case granted bail on drug charges
  • Natasha Danish, wife of prominent Karachi businessman, was arrested in August for killing two people in accident
  • Judge says case attracted negative media attention toward Danish, points out differences in urine and blood tests
Updated 28 min 57 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A Pakistani woman who is a suspect in a high-profile hit-and-run case in Karachi is set to walk free after the Sindh High Court granted her bail on Monday, three weeks after she was denied the same by a trial court over allegations that she was driving under the influence of methamphetamine drug when she killed two people. 

Natasha Danish, the wife of a prominent businessman in Karachi, was arrested in August for causing a fatal accident that killed two people and caused injuries to five others. Danish had earlier received bail in the manslaughter case after the victims’ families pardoned her. However, she remained in custody on charges of driving under the influence of methamphetamine.

During a hearing of the case on Monday, the defense counsel argued that Danish was wrongfully charged under Section 11 of The Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order, 1979 which deals with alcohol consumption. The defense counsel argued that Danish was accused of consuming methamphetamine, not alcohol.

Despite opposition from the prosecution, Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha granted post-arrest bail to Danish. In his written order, the judge cited several reasons that questioned the justification to detain her further. 

“This case has attracted a lot of media attention much of which is not in favor of the applicant as well as outcry from civil society, which might have caused prejudice to her trial,” the judge argued in his order, a copy of which is available with Arab News.

He noted that while Danish’s urine test had shown traces of methamphetamine, her blood test did not. He said these raised questions about the strength of the case, adding that further inquiry was needed to ascertain the truth. 

 “The urine sample given by the applicant found that the methamphetamine (ice) narcotic was detected in the given sample, hence there appears to be a contradiction between the two reports (blood & urine) which makes this a case of further inquiry,” he wrote. 

The court also pointed out that the primary case involving the accident had been resolved after the victims’ families had pardoned Danish. The judge noted that Danish, a mother of three, had already spent six weeks in jail and that her prolonged detention could not be justified given the circumstances.

 “The maximum sentence would most probably be less than three years which would entitle her to the grant of bail,” the judge said. 

The judge pointed out that Danish’s children, which includes a young daughter, needed her mother’s support. He noted the ongoing trial was expected to take time as there were 13 witnesses yet who had to testify.

The decision to grant bail was based on a preliminary assessment of the evidence, with the court clarifying that it would not influence the outcome of the trial. Danish was ordered to provide a surety bond of Rs. 1 million in exchange for bail. 

Danish’s case has attracted significant media attention in Pakistan, particularly after CCTV footage of the fatal accident circulated on social media in August. The footage showed Danish’s vehicle colliding with a motorbike, killing a student and her father.

Topics: Sindh High Court Natasha Danish

Pakistan top court rejects Lahore High Court’s appointments to Punjab election tribunals

Pakistan top court rejects Lahore High Court’s appointments to Punjab election tribunals
Updated 30 September 2024
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Pakistan top court rejects Lahore High Court’s appointments to Punjab election tribunals

Pakistan top court rejects Lahore High Court’s appointments to Punjab election tribunals
  • Pakistan’s ECP had asked top court to determine whether authority to appoint election tribunals wrests with it or Lahore High Court
  • Former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, which accuses Election Commission of being pro-government, criticizes the verdict
Updated 30 September 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday declared an earlier decision by the Lahore High Court (LHC) to appoint judges to eight election tribunals in Punjab to hear petitions related to the February 8 polls as null and void, ruling in favor of the country’s electoral watchdog. 

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had appealed against the LHC’s decision and sought clarity from the top court on whether the commission or the LHC chief justice has pre-eminence when it came to appointing election tribunals under Section 140 of the Elections Act 2017.

The controversy began in February when the commission asked the LHC for names of serving judges to be appointed to election tribunals in Punjab. The LHC provided the commission the names of two judges which were notified by the ECP. On April 4, the LHC chief justice nominated six more judges for their appointment to election tribunals out of which only two were notified by the ECP. The electoral watchdog sought more names from the high court for appointment to election tribunals in Rawalpindi and Bahawalpur. 

In reply, the LHC chief justice objected to the ECP’s demand, stating that the commission never sought names of judges for their appointment to election tribunals in the past. In its July 12 verdict, the LHC ruled that a high court chief justice has pre-eminence or dominance in matters of appointment of election tribunals under Section 140 of the Elections Act 2017. 

“The Supreme Court has set aside the June 12 verdict of the single bench of Lahore High Court and accepted the Election Commission’s review regarding the matter of constitution of election tribunals,” state-owned Pakistan Television News (PTV News) reported, adding that a five-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa announced the verdict. 

“The Supreme Court cited in its decision that the verdict given by the Lahore High Court cannot be quoted as a precedent in the future,” PTV News added. 

Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which has leveled rigging allegations against the ECP in the past, criticized the judgment. 

“The judgment given by Justice Qazi Faez Isa regarding the election tribunals seems as if he is in a hurry to pave the way for his extension,” PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen told reporters outside the Supreme Court. 

 Khan’s party has accused the government of attempting to grant an extension in tenure to Isa, who is widely viewed to be aligned with the ruling coalition and in opposition to its chief rival, the PTI, through a set of proposed constitutional amendments that it is yet to produce in parliament. 

The government denies these allegations and says the amendments— expected to establish a federal constitutional court, raise the retirement age of superior judges by three years and modify the process for the top judge’s appointment— are aimed at providing speedy justice to thousands of litigants in the country. 

Topics: lahore high court Punjab

‘Climb2Change’: Team of mountaineers remove 1.72 tons of waste from 16 mountain sites in Pakistan

‘Climb2Change’: Team of mountaineers remove 1.72 tons of waste from 16 mountain sites in Pakistan
Updated 30 September 2024
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‘Climb2Change’: Team of mountaineers remove 1.72 tons of waste from 16 mountain sites in Pakistan

‘Climb2Change’: Team of mountaineers remove 1.72 tons of waste from 16 mountain sites in Pakistan
  • Cleanliness drive spearheaded by climber Naila Kiani was launched from June to August by UAE-based Mashreq bank
  • Team of climbers removed waste from K2, Broad Peak base camps and all the trails leading to them, says Kiani
Updated 30 September 2024
Nisar Ali

KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: A team of professional climbers removed 1.727 tons of waste from 16 mountain sites in northern Pakistan as part of a drive from June to August to promote the importance of environmental preservation in the country, a member of the team said on Sunday.

The “Climb2Change” initiative was launched by UAE-based Mashreq bank from June to August this year. The initiative aimed to build awareness about recycling practices, waste reduction and environmental preservation by sending out cleaning expeditions to 14 of the world’s tallest mountains. 

Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, which is home to scenic valleys and five of the world’s 14 mountains above 8,000 meters including K2, is a popular destination for mountain climbers from around the world. 

The team included mountaineers Naila Kiani, Portuguese climber Maria Conceicao, Akbar Hussein, Shabbir Hussein, Bashir Hushe, Basharat Sadpara, and Dilawar Sadpara. Celebrated Pakistani climber Murad Sadpara was also a member of the expedition before he tragically died in August whilst attempting to climb the Broad Peak mountain. The expedition helped Conceicao become the first Portuguese woman to summit the towering K2 mountain. 

“Over a rigorous 50-day expedition, 1.727 tons of waste were removed from 16 mountain sites including K2 and Broad Peak base camps as well as the trails leading to them,” Kiani said on Sunday in a statement. 

She said 500 kilograms of waste were collected from K2, adding that the challenging altitude of the mountain made the expedition a difficult one. The team collected plastics, old ropes, discarded tents, oxygen tanks, wrappers and soda cans. 

“This waste has already been handed over to the government’s Central Karakorum National Park department and has been treated appropriately,” Kiani said, adding that the drive benefited 47 local businesses and over 200 community members.

“This initiative aims to remove high-altitude waste and promote environmental education, fostering sustainable practices among local communities and businesses,” she explained.

Kiani urged the government to enforce strict regulations to prevent further pollution on the mountain sites, stressing that while one-time cleanliness drives help, the influx of visitors means more trash will soon accumulate on the sites. 

Syed Yasir Abbas Rizvi, an ecologist at the CKNP department and focal person for the clean-up drive conducted on K2, appreciated the initiative. 

“We always welcome and support the corporate sector, NGOs and trusts to come forward to join hands with us to keep clean the Central Karakorum National Park, which is known as Adventurer’s Paradise,” Rizvi told Arab News, referring to the protected mountain area between Skardu and Gilgit in northern Pakistan that measures 10,557.73 km. 

He said the CKNP has picked up 125 tons of solid waste disposed of by around 30,000 visitors and their associated crews since 2015. He said the protected area is seeing more pollution and an increase in waste as the number of tourists is also increasing. 

“For that, we are committed and working with zero tolerance because we have to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems of CKNP,” Rizvi explained. “Not only in this era but also for the generations to come.”

Topics: Pakistan Naila Kiani K2 Broad Peak Murad Sadpara

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