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Azam says Pakistan have advantage ahead of India clash

India's Virat Kohli, left, shakes hands with Pakistan's captain Babar Azam before the start of the Asia Cup 2023 one-day international (ODI) cricket match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on September 2, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 09 September 2023
AFP
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Azam says Pakistan have advantage ahead of India clash

  • The arch-rivals meet again in Colombo on Sunday after their group match was abandoned due to rain
  • Pakistan won their opening match of Super Four and a second win will further their chances for the final
Updated 09 September 2023
AFP

COLOMBO: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said Saturday his side will have an edge over India in their Asia Cup Super Four clash, with a bowling line-up ready to win matches and tournaments. 

The arch-rivals meet again in Colombo on Sunday after their group match was abandoned due to rain, which has played havoc with the 50-over tournament that is a precursor to the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. 

Pakistan won their opening match of the Super Four stage and a second win will further enhance their chances of making the final on September 17. 

But rain in the Sri Lankan capital is expected to play spoilsport again in the match, for which a reserve day has been kept aside. 

"You can say we have the edge as we have played back-to-back cricket here (in Sri Lanka) and in Pakistan," Azam told reporters. 

"It has been two-and-a-half months in Sri Lanka including the Test series, Lanka Premier League, Afghanistan series and now the Asia Cup. 

"So you can say it will be advantage (for us)." 

Pakistan's pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf have stood out with 23 wickets between them and played a key role in the team's performance so far. 

Shaheen, a left-arm quick who leads the bowling, rattled India with his opening burst in the group match, taking the key wickets of skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. 

Azam said the team believes their bowlers can win them titles. 

"Proud to have the fast bowlers that we have. One of the best (in the world)," said Azam. 

"Fast bowlers win you tournaments and matches and I have total belief (in) them. The line-up that we have including Naseem and Faheem (Ashraf) is the best lot that we have. They have the belief and how they bowl in partnerships." 

Topics: Pakistan India asia cup Cricket sport

Bangladesh court upholds death sentence of 20 students in 2019 murder case

Updated 5 sec ago
AFP
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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
Updated 5 sec ago
AFP

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.

Topics: Awami League Party Bangladesh Chhatra League Bangladesh student murder

PCB serves legal notice to South Africa’s Corbin Bosch for ‘breaching’ Pakistan T20 league contract

Updated 23 min 21 sec ago
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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
Updated 23 min 21 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

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.

Topics: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Pakistan Super League (PSL) Corbin Bosch

Pakistan PM asks officials to intensify crackdown on human traffickers, smugglers

Updated 40 min 8 sec ago
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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
Updated 40 min 8 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

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.

Topics: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Federal Investigation Agency human smugglers anti-human trafficking

Chinese shipyard completes second submarine for ally Pakistan

Updated 16 March 2025
AP
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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
Updated 16 March 2025
AP

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.

Topics: Pakistan China Ties Pakistan Navy Hangor-class submarine

Pakistan health minister expresses concern over rising polio cases in Sindh

Updated 16 March 2025
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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
Updated 16 March 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

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.

Topics: Polio cases in Pakistan Pakistan health ministry mustafa kamal anti-polio campaign

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