ISLAMABAD: Sacred Buddhist relics from the Taxila archaeological site near Islamabad were returned to Pakistan on Thursday after the conclusion of a three-week exhibition in various locations in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan minister of sustainable development, wildlife and regional development, Sarath Fonseka, was present at Bandaranaike International Airport to see off the relics. So too were senior government officials and Pakistani diplomats.
Pakistan sent the relics at the request of Sri Lanka’s government in connection with the Annual Buddha Rashmi National Vesak Festival.
“Millions of devotees paid their respects and homage” to the relics, said Pakistan’s High Commission in Sri Lanka.
The exhibition began on April 29, attended by Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister, as well as Buddhist clergy, scholars, ministers and MPs.
“The advent and development of Buddhism owes a great deal to the ancient land of Pakistan,” said the High Commission.
“It was here where the religious activities of Buddhism reached their climax through well-organized missionaries, and ultimately made it a world religion.”
Buddhist relics returned to Pakistan after Sri Lanka expo
Buddhist relics returned to Pakistan after Sri Lanka expo
- High Commission: ‘Millions of devotees paid their respects and homage’
- The exhibition began on April 29, attended by Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister, as well as Buddhist clergy, scholars, ministers and MPs
History maker Maphaka removes Babar as Pakistan battle at Newlands
- Pakistan reach 155-7 at lunch trailing by 460 runs
- Pakistan are a batter short after Saim Ayub’s injury
CAPE TOWN: South Africa’s youngest test debutant Kwena Maphaka took the key wicket of Babar Azam as Pakistan reached 155 for an effective seven wickets at lunch on day three of the second and final test at Newlands on Sunday, trailing their hosts by 460 runs.
Fast bowler Maphaka, 18, induced an edge down the leg side from Babar, who was caught by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne having looked in control with a well-played 58.
Aamer Jamal will resume after the interval on five along with Khurram Shahzad, who has yet to score, as Pakistan seek to reduce their first innings deficit on a wicket that is still good for batting, but likely to deteriorate on days four and five.
Pakistan are a batter short after opener Saim Ayub fractured his ankle while fielding on the opening day and will take no further part in the game.
Maphaka (1-43) set off on a wild celebration when he captured the prized scalp of Babar, his first test wicket having taken over from former spinner Paul Adams as South Africa’s youngest test player.
Mohammad Rizwan made 46 before he inexplicably charged down the wicket at seamer Wiaan Mulder and was the second wicket to fall in the session with a wild swipe that resulted in him playing the ball onto his own stumps.
Salman Agha made 19 but was the third man out, stumped by Verreynne off the bowling of spinner Keshav Maharaj.
The home side posted a massive 615 in their first innings thanks to centuries from Ryan Rickelton (259), Temba Bavuma (106) and Verreynne (100).
South Africa have already claimed their place in June’s World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s from June 11-15, and are looking to win this series 2-0 after claiming a tense first test by two wickets in Pretoria.
Pakistan to fly injured Ayub to London for treatment as Champions Trophy looms
- Saim Ayub has been ruled out of cricket for six weeks after he sustained ankle injury on Friday
- Pakistan are scheduled to play Champions Trophy 2025 opener against New Zealand on Feb. 19
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has decided to send injured left-handed opening batter Saim Ayub to London for immediate medical treatment, the board said on Sunday, with the important Champions Trophy tournament just weeks away.
Ayub has been ruled out of competitive cricket for up to six weeks due to a right ankle fracture that he sustained while fielding against South Africa at Newlands on Friday.
Ayub, one of Pakistan’s in-form batters who has performed well in white-ball matches against Australia and South Africa in recent weeks, is in danger of missing Pakistan’s Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand at Karachi on Feb. 19.
“Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi has decided to send Saim Ayub to London for immediate treatment and the decision was made after consulting the doctors,” the board said in a statement.
The PCB said that Ayub, who was supposed to return to Pakistan with the squad, will now head to England. It said Naqvi spoke to Ayub over the phone and inquired about his well-being.
Naqvi said the Pakistani batter will be checked by sports ortho specialist doctors in England, adding that an immediate appointment has been made by the PCB.
“The medical team is looking into the entire case and Dr. Mumraiz has shared Saim’s medical reports with specialists in England,” Naqvi said.
He described Ayub as a “brilliant stylish batsman and asset of Pakistan cricket.”
“Saim’s treatment will be done in the best hospital in the world and in this regard all resources will be used for his treatment,” Naqvi said. “We hope that the left-handed batter will make a full recovery before the ICC Champions Trophy.”
Saim will travel to London from Cape Town on the first available flight, with assistant coach Azhar Mahmood accompanying him.
Over 4,000 participate in second World Athletics-certified marathon in Karachi
- Athletes from Poland, Germany, Japan and other countries take part in marathon event
- Featured five types of marathons, with longest covering distance of 42.195 kilometers
KARACHI: At least 4,000 people from all walks of life took part in an annual marathon event, accredited by the World Athletics and held in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Sunday, its organizer said.
The event kicked off on Sunday morning from the city’s Nishan-e-Pakistan monument at Sea View. It featured five types of marathons, such as the Full Marathon (42.195km) the Half-Marathon (21.1 km), the Relay Marathon, a team of four participants for 42.2km (10.5km run, 10.5km run, 10.5km run, 10.5km run and the Fun Run, a 5 km run.
Athletes hailing from Poland, Germany, Japan and many others participated in the event, Sports in Pakistan, one of the organizers of the event, said in a press release. The marathon’s certification by the World Rankings Competition ensured a world-class experience for all participants, it added.
“We are delighted with the overwhelming success of the Karachi Marathon 2025,” Shoaib Nizami, CEO of Sports in Pakistan, said.
“The event has emerged as a testament to Karachi’s unwavering resilience and warm hospitality and we extend our sincerest gratitude to our participants, sponsors, and partners for their invaluable support.”
The top performers in each category were:
Marathon Category:
- Male Winner (1st Prize): Israr Muhammad (Pakistan) – Time: 2:30:13 won Rs. 500,000/
- Male Winner (2nd Prize): Muhammad Riaz (Pakistan) – 2:32:13 won Rs. 250,000/
- Female Winner (1st Prize): Enub Khan (Pakistan) – 3:47:49 won Rs. 500,000/
- Female Winner (2nd Prize): Zeba Shah Abbasi (Pakistan) – 4:01:13 won Rs. 250,000/
Half Marathon Category:
- Male Winner (1st Prize): Muhammad Ajhtar (Pakistan) – Time: 1:12:08 won Rs. 50,000/
- Second Runner-up Male (2nd Prize): Qasim Bajwa (Pakistan) – 1:12:52 won Rs. 40,000/
- Female Winner (1st Prize): Mumtaz Naimat – 1:43:26 won Rs. 50,000/
- Second Runner-up Female (2nd Prize): Dua Nazakat (Pakistan) – 1:51:45 won Rs. 40,000/
The city saw its first-ever World Athletics-certified marathon last year in January 2024 where hundreds of people from all walks of life participated.
OIC body, Pakistani university launch fellowship program for Bangladeshi students and scholars
- Program open for Bangladeshi nationals aged 22-45 residing anywhere, says state media
- Covers tuition fee waiver, airfare, honorarium and free accommodation for students, scholars
ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation and Pakistan’s University of Lahore have joined hands to launch a fellowship program for Bangladeshi students and scholars, state-run media reported on Sunday.
The program is open for Bangladeshi nationals aged 22 to 45, residing in any country of the world, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said. It said Bangladeshi nationals must have outstanding academic achievements and a demonstrated commitment to contributing to their communities for the fellowship.
The program covers tuition fee waiver, round-trip airfare, honorarium and free accommodation, it added.
“This fellowship program is a testament to our commitment to bridging gaps in education and research across the Muslim world,” Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, COMSTECH’s coordinator general said.
“By investing in Bangladeshi scholars and students, we aim to cultivate a generation of innovators and leaders who will address the challenges of our time.”
Eligible candidates can apply through the official websites of COMSTECH and the University of Lahore, APP said, adding that applications are open until Mar. 1, 2025.
The development takes place amid a renewed push from both Bangladesh and Pakistan to improve their ties after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster from office in August last year.
Established together as one independent nation in 1947, Bangladesh won liberation from then-West Pakistan in 1971. Relations between the two countries continued to deteriorate during Hasina’s administration, which prosecuted several members of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party for war crimes relating to the 1971 conflict.
However, Islamabad’s ties with Dhaka have improved as Bangladesh’s relations with India, where Hasina has sought refuge, have deteriorated.
Pakistani province orders arrest of suspects involved in shooting at Kurram aid convoy
- Unidentified men on Saturday fired at aid convoy traveling toward Kurram district rocked by sectarian and tribal clashes
- Participants of high-level meeting chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister vow not to show militants any mercy
PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has ordered the immediate arrest of suspects involved in the recent shooting at an aid convoy en route to the northwestern Kurram district, which has been rocked by sectarian and tribal clashes in recent weeks, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said on Sunday.
Saturday’s gun attack was carried out by unidentified men near Bagan, a tense locality in the district’s center, as Deputy Commissioner (DC) Javedullah Mehsud and other officials led an aid convoy to Kurram, leaving the top officials and four security men injured.
Kurram, a northwestern district of around 600,000 people in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has been rocked by tribal and sectarian clashes since Nov. 21 when gunmen attacked a convoy of Shia passengers, killing 52.
The attack sparked further violence and blockade of a main road connecting Kurram’s main town of Parachinar with the provincial capital of Peshawar, causing medicine, food and fuel shortages in the area, as casualties surged to 136.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur held a meeting with senior provincial officials on Saturday night to take stock of the situation in Kurram after the incident, the CM Office said in a statement.
“People involved in the firing should be handed over to the law,” the statement said. “A first information report against all suspects involved in the shooting should be registered after which they should be immediately arrested.”
The statement said that after a peace agreement between the warring factions in Kurram, the responsibility for its violation falls on the people of the area. Participants of the meeting also decided to fix bounties on militants’ heads to eliminate them.
“No mercy will be shown to any terrorist nor will those who aid them be spared,” it added.
KP government spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif said on Saturday that Mehsud’s condition was out of danger. The official was leading a convoy of 17 trucks, which were carrying tents, blankets, medical kits, tarpaulins, solar lamps and sleeping bags when the attack occurred.
Kurram police spokesman Riaz Khan told Arab News that the attack injured DC Mehsud, his police guard and three members of the Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary force.
Saturday’s gun attack came days after a grand jirga, or council of political and tribal elders formed by the KP provincial government, brokered a peace agreement between the warring Shia and Sunni tribes, following weeks of efforts.
Under the peace agreement signed on Wednesday, both sides had agreed on the demolition of bunkers and the handover of heavy weapons to the authorities within two weeks, but the attack on the aid convoy has once again cast a cloud on peace in the restive district.
According to the peace agreement, any party that launches an attack after the signing of the deal will be considered a “terrorist” and action will be taken against it. Another point of the agreement says that a fine of Rs10 million ($35,933) will be imposed on those who violate the terms of the deal by using weapons against each other.
Land disputes in the volatile district will be settled on a priority basis with the cooperation of local tribes and the district administration, according to the peace agreement. Opening of banned outfits’ offices will be prohibited in the district, while social media accounts spreading hate will be discouraged via collective efforts backed by the government.
