ABU DHABI: The competition-leading Lahore Qalandars had a 10-run win over Peshawar Zalmi as the second game in the first double-header since the resumption of the Pakistan Super League finished in the early hours of Friday morning.
The Qalandars slipped to 25-4 after 7 1/2 overs before Ben Dunk (48) and Tim David combined in an 81-run partnership to re-set the innings. David, who finished unbeaten on 64 from 36 balls, then shared a late 47-run stand with James Faulkner (22) to lift the Qalandars to 170-8.
Faulkner took two wickets in his first over, the second of the innings, to have Peshawar in early trouble before Rashid Khan took a pair in the 10th to keep the Qalandars in control.
Rashid returned 5-20 to restrict Peshawar to 160-8, despite Shoaib Malik’s 48-ball 73.
In the earlier game, Babar Azam’s unbeaten half century went in vain as Multan Sultans defeated defending champion Karachi Kings by 12 runs.
Azam hit 85 off 63 balls, but Multan held Karachi to 164-7 through some disciplined seam and spin bowling.
After being put into bat, Multan did well in the end to push its total to 176-5 with left-handed Khushdil Shah remaining unbeaten on 44 off 32 balls.
Fast bowler Imran Khan claimed 3-28 and leg-spinner Imran Tahir picked up the key wickets of Martin Guptill and Afghanistan’s Najibullah Zadran, who both scored 11 runs each as Azam was kept in check by the Multan bowlers.
Azam took his time to settle down and got little support from the other end to challenge the target. Azam raised his 18th half century in the PSL off 45 balls but his five fours and four sixes in the end were not enough to carry his team home.
Khan claimed all his three wickets in the last over and was on a hat trick when he dismissed Thisara Perera and captain Imad Wasim off successive deliveries.
Qasim Akram denied Khan the hat trick before offering a tame catch off the last ball at extra cover.
South African Rilee Rossouw smashed seven fours in his quickfire 44 off 24 balls and it looked like Multan could cross the 200-run mark.
Rossouw and captain Mohammad Rizwan (29) shared a 68-run third wicket stand off 39 balls as Multan reached 107-2 by the halfway stage.
But Karachi hit back through Thisara Perera, who bagged 2-12 off his three overs as Rossouw sliced a catch to long on and Rizwan was run-out in the same over while attempting a needless second run.
The left-handed Shah propelled Multan’s total with an unbeaten 44 off 32 balls when he hammered Mohammad Amir for three fours and a six in the last over as the left-arm fast bowler, now retired from international cricket, finished with expensive figures of 0-42 off his four overs.
Pakistan’s premier Twenty20 league was moved to Abu Dhabi for the remaining 20 games after it was suspended in March when several players and support staff tested positive for COVID-19 in a bio-secure bubble at Karachi.
PSL: Lahore Qalandars bag late victory over Peshawar Zalmi in Abu Dhabi
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PSL: Lahore Qalandars bag late victory over Peshawar Zalmi in Abu Dhabi
- Starring performances from batsman Tim David and leg-spinner Rashid Khan powered Lahore Qalandars to a 10-run victory
- After setting daunting target of 171 runs, Lahore Qalandars were off to flying start with the ball, removing two openers in second over
Afghan PM condemns Pakistan’s ‘unilateral’ deportations
- Pakistan has launched strict campaign to evict by end of month more than 800,000 Afghans
- Afghan PM Hasan Akhund urges Pakistan government to facilitate “dignified return” of refugees
KABUL: Afghanistan’s prime minister condemned on Saturday the “unilateral measures” taken by Pakistan to forcibly deport tens of thousands of Afghans since the start of April.
Pakistan has launched a strict campaign to evict by the end of the month more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits canceled, including some who were born in Pakistan or lived there for decades.
Pakistan’s top diplomat Ishaq Dar flew to Kabul for a day-long visit on Saturday where he held discussions with Afghan Taliban officials, including Prime Minister Hasan Akhund and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
“Rather than collaborating with the Islamic Emirate on the gradual repatriation process, Pakistan’s unilateral measures are intensifying the problem and hindering progress toward a solution,” Akhund said during his meeting with Dar.
He urged the Pakistani government to “facilitate the dignified return of Afghan refugees,” according to a statement on X.
Earlier, foreign minister Muttaqi “expressed his deep concern and disappointment over the situation and forced deportation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan,” the ministry’s deputy spokesperson Zia Ahmad said on X.
Ahmad added that Dar had reassured officials that Afghans “will not be mistreated.”
Afghans in Pakistan have reported weeks of arbitrary arrests, extortion and harassment by authorities.
Islamabad has said nearly 85,000 have already crossed into Afghanistan, with convoys of Afghan families heading to border crossings each day fearing raids, arrests or separation from family members.
On Friday, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister Tallal Chaudhry told a news conference that “there will not be any sort of leniency and extension in the deadline.”
The relationship between the two neighbors has soured as attacks in Pakistan’s border regions have soared following the return of the Taliban government in Afghanistan in 2021.
Last year was the deadliest in Pakistan for a decade, with Islamabad accusing Kabul of allowing militants to take refuge in Afghanistan, from where they plan attacks.
The Taliban government denies the charge.
Chaudhry said on Friday that nearly 85,000 Afghans have crossed into Afghanistan since the start of April, the majority of them undocumented.
More than half of them were children, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
The women and girls among those crossing were entering a country where they are banned from education beyond secondary school and barred from many sectors of work.
Afghanistan’s refugees ministry spokesman told AFP on Saturday the Taliban authorities had recorded some 71,000 Afghan returnees through the two main border points with Pakistan between April 1 and 18.
In the first phase of returns in 2023, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans were forced across the border in the space of a few weeks.
In the second phase announced in March, the Pakistan government canceled the residence permits of more than 800,000 Afghans and warned thousands more awaiting relocation to other countries to leave by the end of April.
The move to expel Afghans is widely supported by Pakistanis.
“They are totally disrespectful toward our country. They have abused us, they have used us. One can’t live in a country if they don’t respect it,” said Ahmad Waleed, standing in his shop on Friday in Rawalpindi, near the capital.
Peshawar Zalmi smash PSL record with 120-run win over Multan Sultans
- Pacer Ali Raza returns figures of 4/21 while Tom Kohler-Cadmore scores blistering half-century
- Player of the Match Abdul Samad smashes 40 runs from 14 balls, hitting three sixes and four fours
ISLAMABAS: Peshawar Zalmi got off the mark in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 tournament on Saturday by defeating former champions Multan Sultans by 120 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, registering the highest margin of victory in the PSL’s history.
After Zalmi openers Saim Ayub and Babar Azam fell for low scores earlier on, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (52 runs from 30 balls) Mohammad Haris (45 runs from 21 balls) and Abdul Samad (40 runs from 14 balls) helped the “Yellow Storm” finish at an impressive score of 227-7 off their 20 overs.
In response, the Sultans were no match for Zalmi’s potent bowling. Skipper Mohammad Rizwan’s side was bowled out for 107 runs in 15.5 overs courtesy of a stellar bowling performance by new pace sensation Ali Raza, who returned figures of 4/21 from his four overs, and spinner Ariq Yaqoob, who finished with 3/20.
“A blazing batting performance that saw Zalmi muster 227-7 in 20 overs was followed by young pace sensation Ali Raza’s masterclass as they registered the highest margin of victory in HBL PSL history,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on its website.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Player of the Match Samad said Zalmi expected him to perform well as he had been playing domestic cricket for some time.
“Stuck to my natural game,” he said, “We had to score 200-plus runs. There was grip, and the pitch was on the slow side but glad the execution went well.”
After registering their first win in three matches, Zalmi have moved up to number five on the PSL points table while the Sultans remain at the bottom with three losses from as many matches.
Islamabad United remain at the top of the table with three wins from three matches, while Lahore Qalandars secure the number two spot with two wins out of three matches.
PM Sharif urges global investors to tap into Pakistan’s minerals sector
- Pakistan organizes three-day Health, Engineering and Minerals Show in Lahore with foreign delegates in attendance
- Exhibition featured a range of high-tech stalls showcasing agricultural machinery, precious stones and pharmaceuticals
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week invited global investors and friendly countries to tap into the country’s mining sector and take advantage of its economic opportunities, state-run media reported.
Pakistan is home to one of the world’s largest porphyry copper-gold mineral zones, while the Reko Diq mine in southwestern Balochistan province has an estimated 5.9 billion tons of ore. Barrick Gold, which owns a 50 percent stake in the Reko Diq mines, considers them one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas, and their development is expected to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s struggling economy.
In recent months, Pakistan has aggressively tried to tap into its huge reserves of natural resources to extract maximum economic advantage from them. Islamabad hosted a two-day minerals summit this month in which hundreds of delegates from around the world visited Pakistan to explore opportunities in its mining and minerals sector.
“Pakistan is rich in talent, especially in IT and AI sectors,” Sharif said on Saturday while speaking at the three-day Health Engineering and Minerals Show [HEMS] in Lahore.
“We are extending investment opportunities to friendly nations and inviting them to initiate joint ventures, particularly in the mining and minerals sector,” he added.
The Pakistani prime minister stressed that over 60 percent of Pakistan’s population comprises the youth, describing them as intelligent and capable.
He called for equipping them with modern skills and professional training.
“Our young generation is our asset, and with the right direction and innovation, they can drive Pakistan’s economic success,” he added.
Sharif credited his government for increasing Pakistan’s exports, saying that its consistent policies had caused the country to boost production and rely less on imports.
The exhibition featured a range of high-tech stalls showcasing agricultural machinery, precious stones, pharmaceuticals and surgical instruments, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
Dignitaries and delegates from China, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the United States, Turkiye and other countries participated, with a total of 860 foreign delegates in attendance.
On this occasion, several bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed, the APP said.
UAE deputy PM to arrive in Pakistan today to strengthen bilateral cooperation
- Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit reflects fraternal relations between both countries, says state media
- In recent months, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates have signed several agreements to boost economic ties
ISLAMABAD: UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan today, Sunday, on a two-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in various sectors, state-run media reported.
Pakistan and the UAE have deepened their economic partnership in recent years. The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment, with over $10 billion invested in the last two decades.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will undertake a two-day official visit to Pakistan from Sunday,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It said the high-level visit reflects the deep-rooted, fraternal relations that Pakistan and the UAE enjoy.
“It also underscores the two countries’ shared commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across all areas of mutual interest,” the state broadcaster added.
The UAE is home to over a million Pakistani expatriates — the second-largest overseas Pakistani community globally — and a major source of remittance inflows to Pakistan.
Policymakers in Islamabad view the UAE as an ideal export destination due to its geographic proximity, which lowers freight costs and facilitates smoother trade.
In recent months, the two countries have signed a series of agreements to boost economic ties.
In February, during the Abu Dhabi crown prince’s visit to Pakistan, the two sides signed accords in mining, railways, banking and infrastructure.
Last year in January, Pakistan and the UAE signed deals worth more than $3 billion covering railways, economic zones and infrastructure development.
The UAE has become an even more crucial partner for Pakistan amid Islamabad’s efforts to achieve sustainable economic growth after suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
Pakistani Christian man to appeal death sentence for blasphemy
- Christian man was convicted of blasphemy over allegations he had desecrated Qur’an in 2023
- Allegations fueled attacks in Jaranwala town in which hundreds of houses, churches were burnt
LAHORE: A Christian man accused of blasphemy in the eastern Pakistani town of Jaranwala will appeal against a death sentence handed down by an anti-terrorism court, his lawyer said on Saturday.
The 36-year-old man was convicted of blasphemy over allegations he had desecrated the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, claims that fueled attacks on a Christian neighborhood in 2023 in which hundreds of houses and churches were torched and thousands of people forced to flee their homes.
“We will file an appeal in the High Court against it,” his lawyer Akmal Bhatti told Reuters, referring to the verdict delivered on Friday night.
Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan. No one has been executed by the state for it, but numerous accused have been lynched by outraged mobs.
In the southern city of Karachi on Friday, a mob of 100-200 people beat a 47-year-old Ahmadi owner of a car workshop to death with bricks and sticks. Ahmadis are a minority group that have faced attacks in Pakistan, considered heretical and accused of blasphemy by some orthodox Muslims.
