ABU DHABI: Multan Sultans won their maiden Pakistan Super League title by thumping 2017 champion Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs in the final on Thursday.
Sohaib Maqsood celebrated his Pakistan recall at 34 after five years with an unbeaten 65, and South African Rilee Rossouw reserved his best for the final by smashing 50 off 21 balls in Multan’s imposing total of 206-4.
Peshawar, which opted to chase after winning the toss, got brief momentum from veteran Shoaib Malik’s 47 off 28 balls but was restricted to 159-9.
Legspinner Imran Tahir claimed his three wickets in his last over while Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabbani picked up the important wicket of power-hitter Hazratullah Zazai early to take the sting out of Peshawar’s run chase.
Multan came back strongly into the tournament after the league was moved to Abu Dhabi this month, winning four of its last five league games. It also beat favorites Islamabad United in the qualifier.
Multan struggled in Karachi with a solitary win from five games in February until the league was suspended when several players and support staff tested positive for the coronavirus.
Peshawar was third time unlucky, falling in the final for a third time alongside 2018 and 2019.
Maqsood played a key role in Multan’s turnaround in the tournament and, yet again, showed off his aggressive batting to finish the league with 428 runs.
Peshawar captain Wahab Riaz seemed to have the final controlled by the halfway mark but Hazratullah Zazai dropped Maqsood on 6 at extra cover in the 11th over which proved costly.
Maqsood and Rossouw combined in a 98-run partnership off only 44 balls as Riaz and Amad Butt finished with identical expensive figures of 0-52. Both batsmen hit 11 fours and six sixes between them as Multan added 124 runs in the last nine overs and took the game away from Peshawar.
Fast bowler Sameen Gul, who played after Umaid Asif was suspended on Thursday for breaching the bio-secure bubble, claimed 2-26 as the rest of the bowlers struggled to contain the free-flowing batting of Maqsood and Rossouw.
Multan beats Peshawar in Pakistan Super League final in Abu Dhabi
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Multan beats Peshawar in Pakistan Super League final in Abu Dhabi
- Multan Sultans won their maiden PSL title by thumping 2017 champion Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs
- Multan came back strongly into the tournament after the league was moved to Abu Dhabi this month
Pakistan arrests main suspect behind 2023 Greek boat tragedy that killed over 250 nationals
- Around 262 Pakistanis drowned when overcrowded vessel sank off Greece coastal town of Pylos
- Illegal transactions amounting to $287,356 have been traced in Mohammad Iqbal’s bank account
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday arrested the main suspect behind a 2023 boat capsize off Greece, which claimed lives of over 250 Pakistanis, the agency said.
Hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned, when an overcrowded vessel traveling from Libya capsized and sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek coastal town of Pylos in June 2023. This disaster became one of the deadliest boat tragedies ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.
It highlighted the perilous journeys many migrants undertake, often driven by economic hardship, as young individuals seek better financial opportunities by attempting dangerous crossings to Europe, prompting the Pakistani government to order “intensified” measures against human traffickers.
The FIA said the suspect, Mohammad Iqbal, who had been living in Libya since 2013, was arrested by FIA immigration officials upon arrival at the Lahore airport.
“The suspect was running a human trafficking network from Libya,” the FIA said in a statement. “The suspect illegally sent several Pakistani citizens to Europe from Libya via boats.”
The FIA said it had traced illegal transactions amounting to Rs80 million ($287,356) from Iqbal’s bank account, adding that he was booked in multiple cases registered with the FIA Lahore zone.
FIA Lahore Director Sarfraz Virk said a crackdown on human trafficking networks was ongoing, vowing to bring human traffickers to justice.
“Strict punishment will be meted out to human traffickers responsible for boat incidents,” he was quoted as saying by the FIA. “FIA teams are in constant contact with the affected families.”
Last month, the FIA issued red notices for 20 foreign-based human traffickers involved in the 2023 Greek boat tragedy. A red notice is a request from a member country of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to other member states to locate and arrest a person to extradite them to face criminal charges.
Several Pakistanis, in a bid to escape economic hardships at home, often undertake these illegal and dangerous journeys to enter Europe.
Last year, five Pakistani nationals died in a shipwreck off the southern Greek island of Gavdos on Dec. 14. More recently, a boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders. Pakistan’s Foreign Office has confirmed 22 survivors of the incident.
Chinese nationals in Karachi withdraw harassment complaint after province pledges to investigate
- The men had approached a court saying their movement was being restricted by police on the pretext of security and it had affected their business
- The provincial government said it was investigating the complaint, but added any grievance should have been made to it through the Chinese embassy
KARACHI: Six Chinese nationals who run businesses in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi have withdrawn a harassment complaint against police after provincial authorities said they would investigate the claims, a defense lawyer said on Monday.
The men had approached a court in Karachi saying they had invested a significant amount of money in Pakistan’s largest city but their movement was being restricted by police on the pretext of security and it had affected their business.
The provincial government in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province said it was investigating the complaint, but added that any grievance should have been made to the government through the Chinese embassy instead of petitioning a court.
Rehman Mahsud, an attorney for the six men, told The Associated Press that his clients are withdrawing their petition as they are now “satisfied” with the assurances provided by senior government officials.
Under a government directive, all Chinese nationals are required to inform police before they travel so an escort can be arranged. Local authorities increased security following the deaths of two Chinese nationals in a bomb attack last year.
Pakistan hosts thousands of Chinese workers as part of Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which is building major infrastructure projects. Several Chinese companies have also been set up across the country.
Two Chinese nationals were killed in Karachi in October when a suicide bomber targeted their vehicle outside an airport. The Baloch Liberation Army, which is mainly active in the southwestern Balochistan province, claimed responsibility for the attack. The BLA accuses China of plundering the province’s mineral resources with Pakistan’s help.
Following the attack, China has called on Pakistan to protect Chinese workers due to a resurgence in militant violence.
Ex-PM Khan urges Pakistan army chief to reconsider policies to end political instability
- The development comes amid renewed political tensions between Imran Khan-led opposition and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government in Pakistan
- Pakistan’s army has ruled the country for nearly half of its history, though it has denied in recent years that it no longer interferes in the country’s politics
ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has written a letter to the chief of the country’s powerful army, General Asim Munir, and urged him to reconsider existing policies to end political instability in the country, Khan’s lawyer said on Monday.
The development comes amid renewed political tensions between Khan-led opposition and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government in Pakistan, following the breakdown of weeks-long talks between the two sides. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party accuses the government of causing the breakdown by failing to release political prisoners and establish judicial commissions to investigate violent protests of May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024. The government says Khan’s party walked away from the talks “unilaterally” before they had a chance to address the PTI’s demands.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges and remains behind bars. His PTI party and supporters have regularly held protests calling for his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
Speaking to reporters in Rawalpindi, Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry said the ex-premier has detailed six points in his letter, which he considers the reasons behind a growing divide between the country’s armed forces and the Pakistani people, and says that a change in current policies was the “need of the hour.”
“The first of all reasons, according to Imran Khan, is the rigging of Feb. 8, [2024] election,” he said. “This is the first point due to which a gulf was created between people and the institutions [armed forces].”
Pakistan held its general election on Feb. 8, 2024 that was marred by a mobile Internet shutdown and unusually delayed results. The polls threw up a hung National Assembly and were followed by weeks of protests by opposition parties over allegations of rigging and vote count fraud. The government and election authorities deny any systematic rigging of polls.
Khan last month called on his party’s members and supporters from all walks of life to mark Feb. 8 as a “Black Day” and hold protests across the country to protest alleged rigging of last year’s polls.
“Second, the judiciary in Pakistan has been controlled under the 26th constitutional amendment and the 26th constitutional amendment was brought to bulldoze justice system in the country,” Chaudhry said as he quoted Khan, saying the amendment was aimed at providing a cover to the “election fraud.”
The amendment empowered parliament to pick the country’s top judge among other changes.
The lawyer also said Khan’s letter mentioned among other things the recent amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) that he said were aimed at stifling dissent on social media, a crackdown on his party’s members and supporters, violation of various court orders, and alleged threats to judges and journalists that were widening the divide between the armed forces and the Pakistani people.
Khan fell out with Pakistan army’s top leaders in the lead-up to his ouster from the PM’s office, and has since led an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the all-powerful army, which has ruled the South Asian country for nearly half of its 75-year history, and even when not in power, it is considered the invisible guiding hand in politics. The army has in recent years said it no longer interferes in politics.
Tensions between Khan’s PTI and the army further heightened after Khan’s brief arrest on May 9, 2023, in a land graft case that sparked countrywide protests, with PTI supporters attacking and ransacking military installations in an unprecedented backlash against the army.
The military has called the day of the protests a “Black Day” and vowed to punish those involved. Since then, thousands of Khan’s supporters have been arrested and dozens of his top party members have defected after they faced increasing pressure from the military establishment to do so, according to his supporters. The army denies it.
“Policies need to be changed swiftly and they should be kept in accordance with the constitution and law, so that political instability in the country may end and the country may move toward stability,” Khan’s lawyer said.
“As long as these policies are not changed, it is difficult for the country to reach a point of stability.”
Pakistan to host 15 Palestinian prisoners freed under Gaza ceasefire deal — Hamas
- Hamas spokesman Dr. Khaled Qaddoumi says Israel has so far released nearly 180 Palestinians and several Muslim countries have offered to host them
- Since the beginning of Israel’s war, Pakistan has dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza and established a special fund for war-torn Palestinians
KARACHI: Pakistan has agreed to host 15 Palestinian prisoners freed under a ceasefire deal that was reached between Israel and Hamas on Jan. 15 to end the Gaza war, a Hamas spokesperson said on Monday, describing Pakistan as an “elder brother.”
A six-week initial ceasefire phase, which ended 15 months of war, includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
Among key components of the deal is that Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50. In exchange, Israel will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas releases.
Dr. Khaled Qaddoumi, a spokesperson of Hamas, told Arab News Israel has so far released nearly 180 Palestinians and some of them have traveled to Egypt to settle there, while several Muslim countries, including Egypt, Turkiye, Algeria, Malaysia, Pakistan and Indonesia, have expressed their willingness to host these prisoners.
“We have officially received confirmation that Pakistan has agreed to receive 15 prisoners. For this, we are deeply grateful to the Pakistani government, the Pakistani people, and the Pakistani establishment,” Dr. Qaddoumi told Arab News.
“Alhamdulillah, it has been proven that Pakistan is not just a brother but an elder brother, with a spiritual connection that has always stood with Al-Quds.”
Pakistan has not yet officially commented about hosting Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel.
The development came after Quds Press, a Palestinian news agency considered close to Hamas, reported that 99 Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel had been deported to Egypt, with 263 expected to be freed by the completion of the first phase of the release process.
It came in the backdrop of negotiations on an agreement for the second phase of the deal, which will see the release of remaining Israeli hostages and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Palestinian territory – encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem – has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, the South Asian country has dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza, besides establishing the ‘Prime Minister’s Relief Fund’ that aims to collect public donations for the war-affected people.
“Just as this nation, its people, and this country [Pakistan] have always expressed solidarity with Palestine and remained committed to their promises, Alhamdulillah, they continue to uphold them,” Dr. Qaddoumi said.
“Thank you to the Pakistani people, Pakistan’s leadership, and the country itself.”
The war on Gaza began after about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages when Hamas attacked Israel in Oct. 2023. The attack triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
The war has also led to widespread destruction in the densely populated territory, where thousands of schools, houses and hospitals have been destroyed by relentless Israeli bombardment.
Saudi Arabia agrees to defer Pakistan’s $1.2 billion oil payment
- Saudi facility can help Islamabad boost foreign reserves ahead of first review of IMF bailout
- Petroleum products mostly from Saudi Arabia make the major chuck of Pakistan’s import bill
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has agreed to defer a $1.2 billion payment on Pakistan’s oil imports by one year, the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) said on Monday.
The Saudi facility to defer the payment can help Islamabad boost its foreign reserves ahead of the first review of a $7 billion IMF bailout due in March. The agreement comes as Pakistan continues to navigate a tricky economic recovery path and implement tough conditions attached to the IMF loan program.
Since the Fund’s establishment, SFD has supported more than 40 projects and programs valued at approximately $1.4 billion to finance energy, water, transportation and infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
“Following the directives of the Saudi wise leadership, and in the presence of the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan H.E Shehbaz Sharif, #SFD CEO Mr. Sultan Al-Marshad signed today an agreement with Pakistan’s Secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs, Dr. Kazim Niaz, to finance oil derivatives worth USD 1.2 billion for #Pakistan,” the SFD said on X.
Sharif welcomed the signing of the agreement under which Pakistan will receive oil on deferred payment for one year, his office said.
“This project will strengthen Pakistan’s economic resilience by securing a stable supply of petroleum products while reducing immediate fiscal burdens,” it said in a statement.
Pakistan also finalized a loan agreement for a Gravity Flow Water Supply Scheme in Mansehra district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province under which the SFD will provide $41 million to enhance access to clean drinking water for at least 150,000 people, according to Sharif’s office.
The SFD has also proposed a partnership with the Pakistan government to offer training programs for young Pakistanis and impart “modern and relevant” skills to meet labor market demands in Saudi Arabia.
Pakistanis constitute one of the largest migrant communities in Saudi Arabia with an estimated 2.64 million working there as of 2023. While 97 percent of them are blue-collar workers, there is a growing demand for skilled labor in the Kingdom as it seeks to modernize its economy under the Vision 2030 scheme.
