DUBAI: While India and Pakistan’s fierce cricket rivalry has been on display at the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates, some families in the country have divided loyalties.
The UAE is home to many cricket-loving cross-border couples from India and Pakistan who find it an easier option than living on the subcontinent, where Pakistanis have trouble getting visas for India, and vice versa.
Cross-border ties have been strained ever since the violence and upheaval that accompanied the creation of modern India and Pakistan at the end of British rule in August 1947.
The two have fought three wars since becoming independent, deepening mistrust and suspicion of each other, while thousands of families remain divided by the border.
Relations further soured after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and cross-border unions are now few and far between.
One rare high-profile example is Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and her husband, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, who have a home in Dubai.
Indian national Kasim Vakkil and his wife Ghazala, from Pakistan, are also part of the UAE’s large South Asian community.
“My marriage would not have been possible if we were not living in UAE,” Kasim told AFP.
“Ghazala is from Lahore and I am from Mumbai but living at this neutral venue made our marriage possible.”
They came together through cricket when Kasim met his future father-in-law at a game between Pakistan and South Africa in the UAE, where Pakistan hosts games owing to the risk of terror attacks on home soil.
“I went to watch a match between Pakistan and South Africa in 2014 where I met Ghazala’s father which became the first step toward our proposal,” said Kasim, a former college-level fast bowler in Mumbai.
“I would not have imagined watching Pakistani cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Amir before my own eyes but it became possible since UAE became a neutral venue for the Pakistan team.”
Ghazala, who works in human resources, said watching India and Pakistan play made her think of home.
India thrashed Pakistan by eight wickets in the group stage and they are set to meet again in the Super Fours on Sunday.
“Now with India and Pakistan playing in UAE for the Asian title it has given us double joy as we get to see players from both the countries which gives us a nostalgic feeling,” said Ghazala.
India is playing in the Emirates for the first time since 2006, sparking huge interest among the country’s large number of Indian expats.
Club-level cricketer Naveed Siraj hails from Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, while his wife, Nida, is from the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
“My uncle and aunty lived in Kuwait and Nida’s family were their neighbors so they initiated the talk for our marriage,” said Naveed.
“UAE is a neutral venue for all the expats from Pakistan and India so everyone lives here in comfort and enjoys everything including cricket.”
Dubai taxi driver Sunil Manohar, from India’s Karnataka state, married Nunda from Pakistan’s Sindh province after their families met in the UAE.
“UAE is a nice place for cross-border families,” he said. “In the past, a few couples were stuck in Pakistan because they were not getting an Indian visa.”
Over the boundary! The cricket-loving India, Pakistan couples bowled over in UAE
Over the boundary! The cricket-loving India, Pakistan couples bowled over in UAE
Bangladesh court upholds death sentence of 20 students in 2019 murder case
- Abrar Fahad, a student at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, was killed after criticizing then government of Sheikh Hasina on Facebook
- Fahad, 21, was beaten for nearly six hours with cricket bats by a group of 25 students, all members of the student wing of Hasina’s Awami League political party
DHAKA: A court in Bangladesh upheld on Sunday death sentences of 20 former university students convicted of murdering a fellow student in 2019 who had criticized the country’s former government on social media.
Abrar Fahad, 21, a student at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), was killed hours after publishing a Facebook post that criticized the then government of Sheikh Hasina for signing a water-sharing treaty with India.
Fahad was beaten for nearly six hours with cricket bats by a group of 25 students, all members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of former prime minister’s political party, the Awami League.
The student wing was accused of creating a reign of terror on university campuses before Hasina was ousted last year following a student-led uprising.
“I am satisfied. I hope the legal procedures will be completed soon, and justice will be served,” Fahad’s father, Barkat Ullah, told reporters after the verdict was announced by the court on Sunday.
“I don’t want to blame the parents who sent their sons to the top university, but they got involved in bad politics. I would urge others to stay away from harmful activities,” he added.
Fahad’s killing sparked nationwide protests, forcing Hasina to pledge the highest punishment for the perpetrators.
Due legal process will be followed to implement the verdict, Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman told reporters.
“The High Court upheld the lower court verdict that handed down death sentences to 20 and life imprisonment to five,” Asaduzzaman said.
“The convicts will be allowed to appeal against the verdict and will have all the rights ensured by the court.”
Syed Mizanur Rahman, one of the group’s defense lawyers, said, “We will appeal against the verdict.”
Of the 20 sentenced to death, four are still on the run.
One of them, Muntasir Al Jamie, who was convicted in Faha’s murder, broke through the prison wall of a high security jail on August 6.
Death sentences are common in Bangladesh, with hundreds of people currently on death row.
All executions are carried out by hanging, a legacy of British colonial rule.
PCB serves legal notice to South Africa’s Corbin Bosch for ‘breaching’ Pakistan T20 league contract
- Bosch was picked by Peshawar Zalmi in the Diamond category during player draft for the 10th edition of Pakistan Super League
- The Pakistan Cricket Board says its management has outlined repercussions of Bosch’s departure from the league in the notice
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has served a legal notice to South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch for “breaching” his contract for the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) Twenty20 tournament, the PCB said on Sunday.
The 30-year-old Bosch was picked by Peshawar Zalmi in the Diamond category during player draft for the 10th edition of PSL in Lahore on Jan. 13, according to the PCB.
The legal notice was served through his agent, and the player has been asked to justify his actions of withdrawing from his professional and contractual commitments.
“The PCB management has also outlined the repercussions of his departure from the league and expects his response within the stipulated time frame,” the board said.
“The PCB will not make any further comments on the matter.”
PSL, which officially began in February 2016, features city-based franchise teams and has become a major event in Pakistan’s cricket calendar, symbolizing the country’s love for the sport. The league brings together both local and international talent, and has grown substantially in value and popularity since its inception.
Pakistan will host the 10th edition of PSL from April 11, with defending champions Islamabad United taking on two times champions Lahore Qalandars at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in the opening match.
The six-team tournament will see 34 matches between April 11 and May 18. Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium will host 13 matches, including two eliminators and the final, according to the PCB.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will host 11 matches, including the first qualifier on May 13. National Bank Stadium in Karachi and Multan Cricket Stadium will host five PSL matches each.
Pakistan PM asks officials to intensify crackdown on human traffickers, smugglers
- Several Pakistanis attempt the dangerous and illegal journey via sea each year in search of greener pastures abroad
- These journeys have claimed lives of several dozen Pakistanis in recent years, prompting action against human smugglers
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to intensify their crackdown on human traffickers and smugglers, the FIA said on Sunday.
The statement came after a meeting of senior FIA officials with the prime minister following the arrest of Usman Jajja, ringleader of a notorious gang involved in human trafficking.
Sharif said the individuals involved in the heinous crime of human trafficking not just cause a loss of precious human lives but also damage the country’s global repute.
“The prime minister called for intensifying operations to bring those involved in human trafficking to justice,” the FIA said in a statement.
Sharif awarded a cash prize Rs1 million to each official who was part of the operation against the Jajja gang involved in the Greece boat accident, in which four Pakistanis died after a migrant boat they were on sank near the Greek island of Crete in Dec. 2024.
The boat tragedies put the spotlight on perilous journeys many migrants undertake, often driven by economic hardship as young individuals seek better financial prospects by attempting dangerous crossings to Europe.
Several Pakistanis attempt the dangerous and illegal journey each year in a bid to escape surging inflation and opt for a better life as the cash-strapped country navigates a tricky path to economic recovery from a macroeconomic crisis.
Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on human smugglers after multiple boat tragedies resulted in its citizens getting killed in recent years. In 2023, an overcrowded vessel carrying over 250 Pakistanis capsized near Greece, in what was one of the deadliest migrant boat disasters in recent history.
Chinese shipyard completes second submarine for ally Pakistan
- The Hangor class is believed to be an export version of China’s 039A submarine, with a crew of 38 and equipped with anti-ship missiles
- Pakistan contracted to buy eight of the submarines, the final four of which are to be built by the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works
TAIPEI: A Chinese shipyard has completed a second submarine for the Pakistan navy, further strengthening military ties between the two countries.
The diesel-electric Hangor class craft was launched on Thursday at China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation’s shipworks in the central city of Wuhan on the Yangtze River, Chinese state media reported Sunday.
Pakistan contracted to buy eight of the submarines, the final four of which are to be built by the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works in the Pakistani port city of the same name.
The Hangor class is believed to be an export version of China’s 039A submarine, with a crew of 38 plus eight spaces for special forces troops and equipped with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles.
Pakistan has used submarines in the past to confront India as part of their land wars over disputed territory in the north. Prohibitions on dual military and civilian use of technology by European nations that make diesel submarines has left China Pakistan’s best option for modern military equipment.
According to a Swedish military think tank, China has accounted for more than 81 percent of Pakistan’s weapons imports over the past five years. Joint venture projects include the Hangor as well as the JF-17 fighter jet.
Meanwhile, China and India have agreed to work toward a solution to their long-running border dispute in the Himalayas after a military standoff that flared with a deadly clash in 2020 but dates back decades.
Pakistan health minister expresses concern over rising polio cases in Sindh
- Syed Mustafa Kamal asks authorities to submit detailed report on parents refusing polio vaccination for children
- Pakistan has so far reported six polio cases in first three months of 2025, with four of those reported from Sindh
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal expressed concern over the rising number of poliovirus cases being reported from Sindh, the health ministry said on Sunday, directing authorities to submit a detailed report on the number of families refusing to get their children vaccinated.
Pakistan has so far reported six polio cases in the first three months of 2025. Four out of the six cases have been reported from Sindh, as per official data.
Kamal paid a visit to the provincial Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in Karachi, Sindh’s capital, on Sunday where he sought a detailed report from authorities about parents refusing polio vaccinations for their children.
“The health minister has expressed concern over four polio cases [reported] from Sindh,” the health ministry said in a statement.
“Forty-three thousand patients in Sindh refused vaccination out of which about 42,000 are from Karachi,” Kamal was quoted as saying.
The minister was given a detailed briefing on the ongoing polio vaccination campaigns and the challenges faced by authorities.
Kamal said eliminating polio from Pakistan was a national priority, directing authorities to utilize all resources to eradicate the disease.
Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, and multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with the completion of the routine vaccination schedule for children under five, are essential to providing immunity against the virus.
The South Asian country last year reported 74 polio cases. Pakistan has planned three major polio campaigns in the first half of 2025, with the next rounds scheduled for April and May.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where polio remains endemic.
Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994 but efforts to eradicate the virus have since been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies.
Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccine teams.
