ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has downplayed comments by Richard Grenell, the pick for US presidential envoy for special missions, calling for the release of jailed ex-premier Imran Khan, saying the government did not expect the remarks to have any “repercussions.”

In an X post on Nov. 26, Grenell posted “Released Imran Khan!” as his party held protests in the Pakistani capital to demand their leader’s release from prison. In a second post, he said, “Watch Pakistan. Their Trump-like leader is in prison on phony charges … Stop the political prosecutions around the world!” On Tuesday morning, Grenall posted again in support of Khan. 

There has been renewed interest in the online posts since last Saturday when US President-elect Donald Trump said he was picking Grenell, his former intelligence chief, as new presidential envoy for special missions, igniting hopes in pro-Khan camps that he would push for the jailed former prime minister’s release when formally appointed after Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025.

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 on charges he says are trumped up by the government and the all-powerful military to keep him away from politics. Both deny the charge. 

“I don’t think there is any pressure involved,” Asif said in an interview to Independent Urdu on Monday when asked if the Pakistan government expected pressure from the US on Khan’s release after Grenell’s appointment.

“In American politics, there are different considerations that different people and parties have and according to that they express their views, but as far as government to government relations go, their expression or interpretation through any tweets, or such statements, is far-fetched … I don’t think there will be any repercussions of [Grenell’s tweets] at any level.”

Khan, who was ousted from office after a parliamentary vote in April 2022, has since waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the country’s powerful military, which is thought to be aligned with the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The military denies it interferes in politics. 

Khan continues to remain popular among the masses, with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party’s rallies drawing thousands of people from across the country. The PTI has held several rallies over the past few months to build public pressure to secure his release from prison. 

Four troops and 12 PTI supporters were killed in the latest protest in Islamabad last month after security forces raided the protest site to disperse demonstrators who had gathered at a square that is in the federal capital’s heavily-policed red zone, home to key government and diplomatic buildings as well as the Supreme Court.

Khan’s party was also barred from Pakistan’s general election on Feb. 8 2024, but the would-be candidates stood as independents.

Despite the ban and Khan’s imprisonment for convictions on charges ranging from leaking state secrets to corruption, millions of the former cricketer’s supporters voted for him. Independent candidates from his party won the highest number of seats but not enough to form a government on their own. Khan cannot be part of any government while he remains in prison.

QUETTA: Naimatullah Shahwani walked into the cricket ground at the University of Balochistan earlier this month as the crisp winter sun shone down on him. 

The 22-year-old cricketer was there for his daily practice following his return to Quetta, the provincial capital of the remote, impoverished Balochistan province, after being part of the team that won the Blind T20 World Cup on Dec. 3, defeating Bangladesh by 10 wickets.

For Shahwani, the victory was not just a national achievement but a personal milestone in his journey from obscurity and discrimination to mastery of a beloved game — and stardom.

Blind cricket, governed by the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) since 1996, is a modified version of the sport designed for players with varying degrees of visual impairment. The game is categorized into three groups: B1 (fully blind), B2 (partially blind), and B3 (players with limited vision). Teams are composed of a mix of all categories to ensure inclusivity and a competitive balance.

Shahwani, a B2 all-rounder who lost his sight to cataract at the age of eight, says he grew up playing cricket on the streets of Quetta and eventually joined a professional blind cricket academy in the city in 2019.

“As I grew up and started playing cricket with boys in the streets, I was unable to see properly whenever the ball would go up,” Shahwani told Arab News. 

“Because of this, the other boys used to make fun of me, and it didn’t feel nice, I wondered why they were doing this. Then I joined the blind cricket academy and by the grace of god, my performance got better and today I am part of Pakistan’s national team.”

After consistently performing well in domestic and national leagues, Shahwani joined the national blind cricket team in August 2023 and that month, Pakistan won gold at the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) games in Birmingham, England. The player has never looked back.

“PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT“

The Blind T20 World Cup, inaugurated in 2012, has been dominated by neighboring India who won the 2012, 2017 and 2022 editions of the tournament. This year, the defending champions refused to travel to Pakistan due to political tensions between the nuclear-armed archrivals. This series was then played between Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, and South Africa.

“Pakistan hadn’t won this title since the inception of the Blind T20 World Cup, hence we did utmost hard work and the entire team performed well in the final,” Shahwani said. 

“I received the ‘Man of the Match’ award in three games against Sri Lanka, South Africa and Nepal, and the ‘Player of the Tournament’ title in the final.”

Shahwani, the eldest of four siblings, credits his blind parents for supporting his dreams and never letting him lose hope in the face of discrimination. 

“Despite facing stereotypes in society for being a member of a blind family, I encouraged my son, and people who used to mock his impairment are now coming to congratulate him for his performance in the Blind T20 World Cup,” Shahwani’s father, Nasrullah, told Arab News.

At the same time, he lamented a lack of appreciation by the government: “No one from the government and provincial sports department has come to see my son and to encourage him after the win.”

Nisar Ali, the captain of the national blind cricket team who praised Shahwani as a “bright and talented” player, also highlighted the challenges faced by blind cricketers in Pakistan.

“Blind cricket in Pakistan doesn’t receive much support from the government, because it is not a commercial sport,” Ali told Arab News. “Blind cricket is as neglected a sport in Pakistan as in Balochistan.”

Yasir Bazai, director-general for the Balochistan sports department, said the Pakistan Cricket Board was leading all cricket affairs in Pakistan, including blind cricket.

“The provincial sports department will support Naimatullah under its limited resources,” he added. 

While the Pakistan Cricket Board awarded the blind cricket team Rs10 million ($36,029) for their World Cup victory, players like Shahwani hope for more acknowledgement and resources for the sport in the future. 

“I thank god that he gave me a platform where I performed well and he gave me so much respect,” the player said as he walked away to start practicing. 

“My future plans are to serve Pakistan as much as I can and take forward the name of my Balochistan.”