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ICC appoints Boon, Gough and Illingworth for tri-series ODIs in Lahore and Karachi

ICC appoints Boon, Gough and Illingworth for tri-series ODIs in Lahore and Karachi
Match Referee David Boon looks on during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 match between India and Ireland at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 05, 2024 in New York. (AFP/File)
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Updated 01 February 2025
Shahjahan Khurram  
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ICC appoints Boon, Gough and Illingworth for tri-series ODIs in Lahore and Karachi

ICC appoints Boon, Gough and Illingworth for tri-series ODIs in Lahore and Karachi
  • The single league tri-series is scheduled to be played from Feb. 8 till Feb. 14 in Lahore and Karachi
  • Pakistan’s Qaddafi Stadium, National Bank Stadium are set to welcome back international cricket
Updated 01 February 2025
Shahjahan Khurram  
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ISLAMABAD: Australia’s David Boon, who is a member of ICC Elite Panel of match referees, will lead the playing control team for this month’s tri-nation one-day international (ODI) series involving hosts Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday.
The single league tri-series is set to be played from Feb. 8 till Feb. 14 in Lahore and Karachi as the newly upgraded Qaddafi Stadium and National Bank Stadium are set to welcome back international cricket, according to the PCB.
Pakistan will take on New Zealand in the much-anticipated opening match on Feb. 8 at the Qaddafi Stadium. England’s Michael Gough, member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, and Pakistan’s Faisal Khan Aafreedi, an ICC International Panel Umpire, will be the on-field umpires.
“ICC Elite Panel Umpire, Richard Illingworth will be the third umpire and Rashid Riaz, member of the ICC International Panel of Umpires, will be the fourth umpire,” the PCB said in a statement.
Qaddafi Stadium will also feature the New Zealand vs South Africa contest on February 10, where Illingworth and Riaz will serve as the on-field umpires, while Gough will be the third umpire. ICC’s International Panel of Umpires’ member Asif Yaqoob will be the fourth umpire for the fixture which is set to be played as a day game.
The action will move to Karachi’s National Bank Stadium for the last league match and the final of the tri-series. Yaqoob and Gough will form the on-field umpires’ duo, while Illingworth and Aafreedi will be the third and fourth umpires, respectively for the Pakistan vs South Africa fixture in Karachi.
In the final on February 14, ICC Elite Panel Umpire Ahsan Raza will officiate as an on-field umpire along with Illingworth, while Gough will be third umpire. Yaqoob will perform duties as the fourth umpire in the final.
The tri-nation series will be followed by the Champions Trophy tournament, which would also be hosted by Pakistan.

Topics: Pakistan cricket

Two suicide bombings at Pakistan military base kill at least nine people, injure 25

Two suicide bombings at Pakistan military base kill at least nine people, injure 25
Updated 5 min 35 sec ago
AP
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Two suicide bombings at Pakistan military base kill at least nine people, injure 25

Two suicide bombings at Pakistan military base kill at least nine people, injure 25
  • A group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in Bannu
  • The military did not immediately confirm casualties, but Bannu District Hospital said nine people were dead
Updated 5 min 35 sec ago
AP

PESHAWAR: Attackers launched two suicide bombings to breach a wall at a military base in northwestern Pakistan while others stormed the compound and were repelled in violence that killed at least nine people and injured 25, officials and a local hospital said.
A group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in Bannu, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and said dozens of Pakistani security forces were killed. The military did not immediately confirm any casualties, but Bannu District Hospital said at least nine people were dead.
Plumes of gray smoke rose into the air and gunshots continued after the two explosions, police officer Zahid Khan said. Four of those killed were children, hospital officials said. The victims lived close to the scene of the blasts.
The two suicide bombers blew themselves up near the wall of the sprawling military area, a security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
“After a breach in the wall, five to six more attackers attempted to enter the cantonment but were eliminated. Operations in the area are still ongoing,” the security official said.
The blasts happened after sunset, when people would have been breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Jaish Al-Fursan claimed responsibility for the attack, the third militant assault in Pakistan since Ramadan started Sunday. In a statement, the group said the source of the blasts were explosive-laden vehicles.
Militants have targeted Bannu several times. Last November, a suicide car bomb killed 12 troops and wounded several others at a security post.
In July, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle and other militants opened fire near the outer wall of the military facility.

Topics: Militancy

Pakistan announces probable players for AFC Asian Cup qualifying match against Syria

Pakistan announces probable players for AFC Asian Cup qualifying match against Syria
Updated 04 March 2025
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Pakistan announces probable players for AFC Asian Cup qualifying match against Syria

Pakistan announces probable players for AFC Asian Cup qualifying match against Syria
  • Pakistan have been placed in Group E alongside Syria, Afghanistan and Myanmar in the Asian Cup qualifiers
  • Stephen Constantine has been reappointed as Pakistan head coach for the match against Syria on March 25
Updated 04 March 2025
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Tuesday announced the list of probable players for the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers away match against Syria.
The development came a day after the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) lifted its international suspension against the South Asian country.
FIFA hit Pakistan on Feb. 6 with a third international suspension in less than eight years after the federation rejected its electoral reforms. Following the suspension, the PFF unanimously approved FIFA’s proposed constitutional amendments in an extraordinary meeting in Lahore last Thursday.
The lifting of the suspension will enable Pakistan to take part in the AFC Asian Cup. The green shirts will kick off their AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying campaign with an away match against Syria.
“The [Pakistan-Syria] match will be played on March 25, 2025 in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia,” the PFF said in a statement.
Stephen Constantine, who previously served as the Pakistan head coach from late 2023 until mid-2024, has been reappointed as head coach for the match against Syria, according to the PFF.
The AFC Asian Cup qualifiers will be played on a home-and-away basis, with Pakistan placed in Group E alongside Syria, Afghanistan and Myanmar.
PAKISTAN PROBABLES
Goal-Keepers: Yousuf Butt, Saqib Hanif, Abdul Basit and Adam Khan
Defenders: Abdullah Iqbal, Easah Suliman, Haseeb Khan, Junaid Shah, Mamoon Moosa, Mohammad Fazal, Abdul Rehman and Waqar Ihtisam
Midfielders: Alamgir Ghazi, Ali Uzair, Ali Zafar, Muhammad Umar Hayat, Rahis Nabi, Toqeer ul Hassan, Umair Ali and Moin Ahmed
Forwards: Fareedullah, Harun Hamid, Imran Kayani, Mckeal Abdullah, Abdul Samad, Shayak Dost and Muhammad Adeel Younas

Topics: AFC Asian Cup

Pakistan’s finance chief says economic reforms ongoing as IMF begins $7 billion loan review

Pakistan’s finance chief says economic reforms ongoing as IMF begins $7 billion loan review
Updated 04 March 2025
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Pakistan’s finance chief says economic reforms ongoing as IMF begins $7 billion loan review

Pakistan’s finance chief says economic reforms ongoing as IMF begins $7 billion loan review
  • Successful review and subsequent approvals can take a few weeks before IMF disburses $1.1 billion
  • Muhammad Aurangzeb says Pakistan is ‘well positioned’ to discuss economic performance with IMF
Updated 04 March 2025
Ismail Dilawar

KARACHI: Pakistan is continuing with macroeconomic reforms, its finance chief said on Tuesday, as a visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation formally kicked off the country’s economic review under a $7 billion loan program.
This is the first review carried out by the IMF since Pakistan secured the loan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). A nine-member mission of the global lending agency, led by Nathan Porter, landed in the country a day earlier to assess Pakistan’s economic performance before the disbursement of a $1.1 billion tranche.
Pakistan’s macroeconomic indicators have gradually improved since it secured the IMF bailout last year. The country’s consumer price index maintained a downward trend last month, hitting a more than 9-year low at 1.51 percent year-on-year in February.
Pakistan’s current account also recorded a surplus of $729 million in November 2024, marking the fourth consecutive month of surplus.
“[The] macroeconomic stability has been achieved in the country, and structural reforms are ongoing,” Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb said at an event in Islamabad.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s finance ministry released photos showing Aurangzeb, his economic team and the IMF delegation, led by Nathan Porter, holding a meeting.
A successful review and subsequent approvals can take a few weeks before the Washington-based lender releases the funds. However, Pakistan’s finance chief told Reuters his country was “well positioned” to discuss its performance with the visiting IMF team, with which it is expected to hold both technical and policy level talks in the coming days.
According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, the IMF team has expressed concerns about Pakistan’s slow tax collection rate against the required target of Rs1.3 trillion ($4.65 billion) until June. The tax collection is likely to fall short by about Rs600 ($2.15 billion).
However, the newspaper noted, the international lender might look the other way, given the rest of the positive macroeconomic indicators, including a higher-than-expected budget surplus the debt-ridden nation is expected to show in its fiscal plan in June.
“Except for revenue collections, Pakistan has achieved most of its quarterly quantitative targets,” Mohammed Sohail, chief executive officer at Topline Securities, said while speaking to Arab News.
“The IMF may insist on increasing and broadening taxes in the coming budget,” he added.
One of the IMF’s requirements for Pakistan is to privatize loss-making state-owned enterprises, including the national airline and power distribution companies.
The process to sell off such enterprises has already begun, with the government having hired a financial adviser, according to Business Recorder newspaper.
Citing unnamed officials at the power division, the English-language daily said all power sector benchmarks agreed upon with the IMF were progressing as planned.

Topics: International Monetary Fund

Iraqi scholars seek Islamic finance collaboration with Pakistan during stock market visit

Iraqi scholars seek Islamic finance collaboration with Pakistan during stock market visit
Updated 04 March 2025
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Iraqi scholars seek Islamic finance collaboration with Pakistan during stock market visit

Iraqi scholars seek Islamic finance collaboration with Pakistan during stock market visit
  • Half of Iraq’s banks operate on Islamic principles, with the sector boasting a value of a trillion dinars in six years
  • Pakistan has been transitioning toward Islamic finance since a court ruling declared interest to be against Shariah
Updated 04 March 2025
Ismail Dilawar

KARACHI: A delegation from Iraq’s Scientific Foundation for Financial Transactions, led by prominent scholars, announced plans on Tuesday to collaborate with the Pakistani banking sector by adopting its Shariah-compliant financing models during a visit to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), according to an official statement.
Pakistan has been actively transitioning toward Islamic finance since April 2022, after the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) ruled that the prevailing interest-based banking system violated Islamic principles, directing the government to fix the problem within five years.
The ruling came as the country faced significant economic challenges, ultimately bringing it closer to sovereign debt default in 2023 before securing a $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in July of that year.
Despite these hurdles, the PSX demonstrated remarkable resilience, with its benchmark KSE-100 Index reaching an all-time high of 81,459 points in September 2024, earning recognition as one of the world’s best-performing equity markets. The PSX also came to symbolize Pakistan’s economic recovery, attracting foreign delegations, most recently the Iraqi scholars.
“Our objective is to leverage Pakistan’s proven models of Islamic finance to benefit our own market,” the PSX statement quoted one of them as saying. “With 50 percent of Iraqi banks operating on Islamic principles and remarkable growth— from 200 billion dinars to a trillion dinars over the past six years— we see immense potential for collaboration in Islamic finance.”
PSX officials provided an overview of Pakistan’s capital market and highlighted the country’s evolving landscape of Islamic finance.
“We are thrilled to host our esteemed Iraqi counterparts and explore partnership opportunities,” PSX Managing Director Farrukh H. Sabzwari said. “By focusing on capacity building and product innovation, we are confident that our collaborative efforts will benefit both Pakistani and Iraqi capital markets.”
The visit is part of a series of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Iraq, aiming to deepen bilateral cooperation across various sectors. The ongoing visit of the Iraqi scholars also marks a step toward expanding economic and financial collaboration, particularly in Islamic finance.

Topics: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) Pakistan Iraq Ties

‘No greater oppression’: Pakistan PM slams Israel’s blockade of Gaza aid

‘No greater oppression’: Pakistan PM slams Israel’s blockade of Gaza aid
Updated 04 March 2025
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‘No greater oppression’: Pakistan PM slams Israel’s blockade of Gaza aid

‘No greater oppression’: Pakistan PM slams Israel’s blockade of Gaza aid
  • Israel blocked entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday as standoff over uneasy truce with Hamas escalated
  • Islamabad calls aid blockade a ‘blatant violation of law,’ urges the world to hold the Jewish state accountable
Updated 04 March 2025
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday slammed Israel for blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying there could be “no greater oppression” than this.
Israel blocked the entry of aid trucks into Gaza on Sunday as a standoff over the truce that has halted fighting for the past six weeks escalated. The blockade is likely to add significant pressure on the two million Palestinians who are still suffering from shortages of essential goods following 16 months of war.
Speaking at a special meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif said the month of Ramadan teaches Muslims to serve humanity and be kind to people who are less privileged, and requires them to express solidarity with Palestine, where Israel’s war had killed more than 50,000 people.
“I believe there can be no greater oppression than blocking food and aid supplies to Gaza in Ramadan despite a ceasefire,” he said. “We are to raise our voice on this.”
Sharif’s statement came hours after Pakistan’s foreign office criticized Israel for blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, calling it a blatant violation of law and urging the international community to hold the Jewish state accountable for collectively punishing millions of civilians. 
“This latest action is part of Israel’s systematic campaign to deny much needed humanitarian aid to millions of Palestinians in dire need. This constitutes yet another blatant violation of international law by the occupying power and could imperil the ceasefire agreement,” it said.
Israel, while announcing the halt to aid entry, said it will not allow a ceasefire without the release of all remaining hostages. Hamas has denounced Israel’s move as “blackmail” and a “blatant coup against the agreement.”
Israel’s war on Gaza began after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct.7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and over 200 others were taken into Gaza as hostages. The subsequent Israeli campaign killed around 50,000 Palestinians and displaced almost all of Gaza’s 2 million population, leaving the territory a wasteland.
Both sides agreed to an uneasy, six-week truce on Jan. 19 which paved the way for the release of hostages from both sides. Israel’s move to block humanitarian aid to Gaza has renewed fears among the international community that the fighting could reignite.
“We also reiterate our call for the full implementation of the agreement to secure a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza as well as the revival of a political process to achieve the two-state solution,” the Pakistani foreign office said.

Topics: Gaza aid

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