ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board has allowed fast bowler Naseem Shah to re-enter the bio-secure bubble before returning to play in the country’s premier Twenty20 league.
The 18-year-old Shah was expelled last Monday from the remainder of Pakistan Super League after arriving at a team hotel in Lahore with an outdated negative test for COVID-19. The last 20 games of the postponed tournament are being played in the United Arab Emirates.
The PCB’s protocols required all players traveling to Abu Dhabi to present a negative test taken not more than 48 hours prior to arrival at the team hotel. Shah presented a report on Monday from a test that was conducted on May 18.
But after meeting with franchise owners, the PCB allowed Shah to return to the team hotel after returning another negative test COVID-19. Shah will then have to clear two more COVID-19 tests before boarding the last charter flight to Abu Dhabi for the tournament.
Shah is supposed to be the key player for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL. He rose to the fame with his pace when he made his test debut against Australia in November 2019 and then grabbed a hat trick in a test match against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi last year. He has played in nine test matches and grabbed 20 wickets.
The PCB has not yet announced the schedule of the remaining 20 PSL games in Abu Dhabi. The league was postponed in March when several players and support staff among the six franchises tested positive for COVID-19.
Naseem Shah set to join bio-secure bubble for Pakistan Super League
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Naseem Shah set to join bio-secure bubble for Pakistan Super League
- Shah was expelled last Monday from the remainder of PSL after arriving at a team hotel in Lahore with an outdated coronavirus test
- Shah will have to clear two more COVID-19 tests before boarding a flight to Abu Dhabi for the tournament
Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess
- Urfan Sharif is accused of murdering Sara Sharif last year, alongside her stepmother and uncle
- Police found the girl’s body with multiple fractures, bruises, burns and bite marks at her home
LONDON: The father of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl on trial in London for her murder on Friday said his wife told him to confess to killing his daughter.
Urfan Sharif, 42, is accused of murdering Sara Sharif on August 8 last year, alongside her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and the girl’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
All three deny the charge and of causing or allowing her death.
A jury at the Old Bailey court was told that all three left the family home in Woking, southwest of London, the day after Sara died and flew to Pakistan.
Sara’s body, which had multiple fractures, bruises, burns and bite marks, was found by police after a tip-off from Sharif in Islamabad.
Giving evidence for a fourth day, he said he was devastated by her death but agreed to leave because Batool had told him Sara had been beaten by another of his children, and he feared the consequences for them.
Before leaving, he wrote a note taking the blame. “Whoever sees this note, it’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating,” it read.
But Sharif told the jury that the confession was dictated by his wife.
“I was merely writing, the wording was not mine,” he said, insisting he took the blame to protect his other children.
Before leaving on August 9, 2023, Sharif left the house keys under the doormat, so the police would not have to break through the door, and had resolved to tell the authorities about Sara when he was out of the country.
A recording was played in court of Sharif’s garbled phone call to police in the UK after arriving in Islamabad.
“I killed my daughter, I killed my daughter,” he said.
Instructing police to the house, he said he “left in a panic” and added: “I promise I’ll come back.”
One month later, Sharif, Batool and Malik returned to the UK and were arrested.
Pakistan PM unveils winter power relief package to cut electricity costs for consumers
- PM Shehbaz Sharif says the initiative will alleviate financial pressure on consumers, stimulate economic activity
- Relief package will reduce tariffs for domestic, industrial and commercial users for three months starting December
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Friday a three-month electricity relief package starting in December, aimed at reducing tariffs for domestic, industrial and commercial consumers.
The announcement comes after the government faced widespread protests earlier this year over rising inflation and high electricity costs following the presentation of its first budget in June. Political parties urged the Sharif administration to renegotiate agreements with independent power producers to lower tariffs.
Pakistan’s manufacturing sector has also expressed concerns over the years due to the rising cost of electricity, saying the elevated power tariffs render national exports uncompetitive in the global market.
“The government has decided to offer an electricity relief package for the three winter months of December, January and February, providing substantial reductions in electricity prices for additional usage,” the prime minister said during a ceremony in Islamabad.
“Under this package, domestic consumers will pay a flat rate of Rs26.07 per unit for incremental electricity usage, resulting in savings of Rs11.42 to Rs26 per unit for household users,” he continued. “The package will apply across Pakistan.”
Electricity consumers in the country pay their bills according to the number of units that fall into various slabs, each with its own tariff rates.
Under the new winter package, industrial consumers will benefit from savings ranging between Rs5.72 and Rs15 per unit, according to Sharif, translating to an 18 percent to 37 percent reduction in electricity costs.
Commercial consumers are set to save between Rs13.46 and Rs22 per unit, equating to overall savings of 34 percent to 47 percent.
Sharif also emphasized the broader economic benefits of the initiative, saying it would alleviate financial pressures on consumers and stimulate economic activity in the country.
“With reduced electricity costs, industries will grow across Pakistan, agriculture will flourish, business and exports will expand, production will increase and Pakistan’s economy will strengthen further,” he said.
No official word from India it will participate in Champions Trophy in Pakistan — PCB
- Mohsin Naqvi’s statement comes amid Indian media reports their team may not play the tournament
- PCB chief maintains sports should be free from politics, says Pakistan’s preparations are continuing
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday there has been no official communication from Indian cricket authorities regarding their national team’s participation in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophy scheduled to take place in Pakistan next year, despite recent reports in the Indian media suggesting otherwise.
Political tensions between India and Pakistan mean the two South Asian rivals only face each other at international tournaments. The Indian team last visited Pakistan in 2008 for the 50-over Asia Cup.
India’s refusal to play on Pakistani soil since then forced the PCB to settle for a “hybrid model” during last year’s Asia Cup, in which only four of the 13 matches were held in Pakistan, with the remaining nine played in Sri Lanka.
“For the past two months, there have been reports in Indian media that the Indian team is not coming [to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy],” Naqvi said during a news conference in Lahore.
“As far as what Indian media is reporting, if the Indian media is reporting this, then with that there must also be a letter that the ICC will give us [Pakistan] or the Indian [cricket] board must have announced [this decision] somewhere,” he continued. “So far, no such letter has reached me or the PCB.”
The ICC Champions Trophy, set to take place from February 19 to March 9, 2025, marks Pakistan’s first time hosting this prestigious tournament. The PCB has been preparing extensively, investing in stadium upgrades and infrastructure improvements to meet international standards.
Naqvi emphasized the need to keep sports free from political influence, adding the preparations for the Champions Trophy would continue as planned with hopes for a successful event.
The ICC has previously expressed satisfaction with Pakistan’s preparations, signaling that the tournament remains on track.
The PCB chief said during his media talk he was in contact with the cricket authorities in other countries, saying they were all excited about the upcoming event and wanted to play the tournament in Pakistan.
Pakistan, UAE sign agreements in customs, rail, airport infrastructure, maritime sectors
- UAE minister of state for foreign trade calls on Pakistani PM Sharif
- In May, Pakistan said UAE had committed $10 billion in investments
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the UAE on Friday signed four MoUs in the sectors of customs, rail and airport infrastructure, maritime shipping and logistics, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office in Islamabad said in a statement.
The MoUs were signed between the Pakistani ministries of maritime affairs, aviation and railways and the Federal Board of Revenue with the Abu Dhabi (AD) Ports Group.
“As per these MoUs, Pakistan and AD Ports Group would explore potential collaboration in customs, rail, airport infrastructure and maritime shipping and logistics sectors,” the PM’s office said after Sharif met a delegation of UAE investors led by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE minister of state for foreign trade.
“These MoUs are aimed at improving digital customs controls, developing dedicated freight rail corridors, upgrading Pakistan’s maritime fleet and marine services, as well as Pakistan’s international airports.”
Sharif said the delegation’s visit demonstrated that the UAE government wanted to enhance its “investment footprint” in Pakistan and continue to play a “crucial role” in boosting Pakistan’s economy.
“The Prime Minister highlighted the comprehensive economic partnership between the two nations across sectors such as trade, energy, and investment, which has contributed to growth and prosperity in both countries.”
The UAE delegation’s visit to Pakistan comes as Islamabad is seeking to strengthen trade and investment ties with friendly nations.
In May this, Pakistan said the UAE had committed $10 billion to invest in promising economic sectors in Pakistan.
Riyadh has also promised a $5 billion investment package that cash-strapped Pakistan desperately needs to shore up its dwindling foreign reserves and fight a chronic balance of payment crisis. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also signed 34 MoUs worth $2.8 billion last month.
UN rights body urges Pakistan to end military trials of civilians, release them on bail
- The UN body asks the government to release all civilians detained under the jurisdiction of military courts
- It expressed concern over ‘increasing trend of enforced disappearances,’ as well as torture, other rights issues
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Human Rights Committee on Thursday expressed concerns over Pakistan’s use of military courts to prosecute civilians, calling for immediate reforms to safeguard due process and fair trial standards in the country.
The committee, an expert body established under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, one of the core international human rights treaties, primarily monitors its implementation by member states.
Pakistan first expanded military courts’ jurisdiction in recent years to include civilians in terrorism-related cases and lifted its moratorium on the death penalty following the killings of over 100 school children in an attack in Peshawar carried out by militants in 2014.
It has also tried supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in these courts following the May 9, 2023, riots, in which people carrying PTI flags targeted government buildings and military installations after the ex-premier was briefly detained on corruption charges.
“The Committee remains concerned about the use of the Pakistan Army Act 1952 to prosecute civilians in military courts,” said the review document prepared by the UN body. “It is also concerned about reports that indicate a very high rate of convictions handed down by military courts and that those convicted have been sentenced to death in the majority of cases between 2015 and 2019.”
“It is further concerned that military courts lack independence and that civilians tried in military courts do not benefit from the same due process guarantees as those provided for in the civilian judicial system,” it added.
The UN body noted that Pakistan’s Supreme Court had declared the military trial of civilians unconstitutional and contrary to international human rights standards last year in October, though it added that the ruling was suspended, and expressed concern that civilians could remain under military court jurisdiction until the top court issues a final verdict.
“The State party should take prompt measures to review the legislation on military courts, abrogate their jurisdiction over civilians and their authority to impose the death penalty, and bring their proceedings into full conformity with articles 14 and 15 of the Covenant in order to ensure a fair trial,” the document said. “The State party should also release on bail all civilians detained under the jurisdiction of military courts.”
Additionally, the UN body raised broader human rights concerns in the country, noting “the increasing trend of enforced disappearances,” as well as torture and extrajudicial executions.
It particularly mentioned “arbitrary restrictions, in law and in practice, on freedom of expression online and offline, including the broad and alarmingly frequent use of Internet shutdowns,” pointing out that the overall environment in the country makes it difficult to exercise freedom of expression by journalists, activists and human rights defenders.
The UN rights body’s findings and recommendations are not legally binding on member states. However, they carry significant weight and can be used to inform advocacy efforts and to apply diplomatic pressure on countries to adhere to human rights obligations.
