RAWALPINDI: Pakistan fans were dejected Monday after a loss to arch-rivals India compounded their cricket T20 World Cup misery, with some declaring their campaign a lost cause after only two matches.
“Cricket is finished for Pakistan,” one spectator told his companions in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, among fans who abandoned a big-screen viewing event before the final ball was bowled.
As night fell on Sunday, crowds had surged into the 15,000-seat Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium hoping to see a victory for captain Babar Azam’s beleaguered side in a match halfway around the globe in New York.
However a low-scoring thriller saw India beat Pakistan by six runs on a tricky batting surface, and in the moments after midnight supporters hurled plastic bottles at the screens in frustration.
“Fate had something else in mind,” 26-year-old Ahsan Ullah told AFP, as resigned fans streamed out of the stadium. “Right now our hearts are a little broken.”
The loss follows the major humiliation of Pakistan’s defeat to USA on Thursday, with the co-host debutants beating the 2022 finalists and 2009 champions in a Super Over thriller in Texas.
Pakistan and India’s cricket rivalry is one of the world’s great international sporting feuds.
The game is by far the most popular sport in both countries, which have a combined population of more than 1.6 billion.
Matches attract staggering numbers of viewers — though the sides face each other only in larger tournaments and in third countries because of long-standing political tensions.
Sunday’s match was the 13th time the nuclear-armed neighbors have clashed in cricket’s shortest format, with India now dominant as the victors of ten of those face-offs.
The rivalry runs so deep that India’s national anthem was muted on the big screens at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where queues snaked outside ahead of a rain-delayed coin toss.
Green spotlights raked the skies as the match began and Pakistan flags whipped back and forth in stands named after storied players like Imran Khan and Shoaib Akhtar.
Whistles, chants and cheers blared in the early overs, before midnight passed and a sober mood took hold as Pakistan struggled to chase down India’s 119 runs.
Asked for his diagnosis of the team’s ills, Mohammad Hisham Raja — seeking solace at a nearby restaurant after the match — responded with one word: “batting.”
“Maybe we got too much in our heads,” the 24-year-old said. “It’s not an embarrassment because we’re used to it now.”
“Cricket is an escape for us — from our daily routine, from our daily lives, from things that cause us problems,” he added. “But there are more problems in this.”
“I think once they come back they’ll see how dissatisfied the population is, so they will obviously make some big changes,” he added, predicting Azam would be ousted from his post.
“Pakistan choked in the final sequence of their World Cup 2024 clash with India to somehow surrender a tie they dominated for large parts of the game,” said the website of the English-language Dawn newspaper.
“For the first time, it seems Pakistanis are struggling to find comfort in the hopes of a ‘next time’.”
Pakistan next face Canada in New York on Thursday and then take on Ireland in Florida on Sunday.
They may still advance to the Super Eight in the tournament co-hosted by the USA and West Indies, with a final slated for Barbados on 29 June.
But 32 year-old Abdul Rasheed, among the final straggling fans in the stadium, predicted “a comeback is going to be very difficult.”
“Previously, things were great but now I don’t know what’s going on,” chimed in 17-year-old Adan Mustafa. “The future doesn’t seem bright.”
Heartbreak in Pakistan after cricket World Cup loss to India
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Heartbreak in Pakistan after cricket World Cup loss to India
- India loss follows Pakistan’s humiliating defeat against minnows United States in World Cup
- Pakistan and India’s cricket rivalry is one of the world’s great international sporting feuds
Punjab mulling over acquiring national airline, says Pakistan ruling party chief
- Nawaz Sharif says Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz consulted him on acquiring PIA, renaming it “Air Punjab”
- Pakistan this week kicked off national flag carrier’s privatization process, receiving single highest bid of $36 million
ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz proposed acquiring the country’s national flag carrier and renaming it as “Air Punjab,” her father and ruling party chief Nawaz Sharif said this week, days after Islamabad started the bidding process for the state-owned asset.
Pakistan’s government kickstarted the privatization process of the loss-making Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flag carrier on Thursday, holding a televised auction in which it received the sole bid of Rs10 billion ($36 million) from Blue World City, a real estate development firm.
The bid fell far short of the minimum price of Rs85 billion ($305 million) set by the government, following which Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province formally offered to exceed the bid on Friday, saying that the PIA should remain under government control to preserve its status.
“Maryam said to me during consultations, “Shouldn’t we acquire the PIA and establish a brand new airline? Bring in brand new planes and that we should give a new airline to Pakistan,” Sharif said to members of his party in New York during a meeting.
“She told me to name it as ‘Air Punjab.’“
The former prime minister said he told the Punjab chief minister to weigh the option of buying the PIA or the possibility of the Punjab government establishing a new one altogether.
“We could introduce a new airline that would offer direct flights from Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta to New York, along with services to London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and other international destinations,” Sharif said.
He said the Punjab government was holding consultations on the matter.
Pakistan decided to move ahead with PIA’s privatization under terms agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a 37-month, $7 billion bailout approved in September, aiming to divest over 51 percent of its stake in the financially struggling national carrier.
Critics, including PIA union representatives and independent analysts, called the low bid an “embarrassment” for the government, with airline employees suggesting Pakistani authorities should expand PIA’s fleet to restore its operational viability.
Punjab asks citizens to follow precautions as Lahore pollution soars to record high
- Lahore’s air quality index soars to unprecedented 1,194 as smog envelopes city
- Punjab government says strong winds from India has increased pollution in Lahore
ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has urged Lahore citizens to strictly adhere to precautions against smog as the city’s air quality index soared to a record-breaking score of 1,194 on Sunday, with a thick blanket of smog enveloping the megacity.
As winter season approaches, Lahore’s 14 million people have been enveloped by smog over the past few days, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning and winter cooling.
The air quality index, which measures a range of pollutants, soared to 1,067 on Saturday, more than 700 above the 300 considered ‘dangerous,’ as per data from IQAir.
“Due to strong winds from India, Lahore attains the number one spot in the air pollution index,” the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the ruling party in Punjab, wrote on social media platform X.
“Lahore is on top of the global air quality index with [a score of] 1,194 while India’s two cities acquire the second and third spots.”
Punjab’s Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb was quoted by the PML-N as saying that Pakistani cities bordering India are severely affected by the changing wind speeds and direction, adding that the burning of farmers’ crop residues in the neighboring country has caused a “large-scale increase” in air pollution.
“Public should strictly follow precautionary measures, the elderly, the sick and children should be especially careful,” Aurangzeb said, urging people to wear face masks and not venture outside their homes unnecessarily.
She said the government’s plan will be implemented strictly, warning farmers against burning crop residues.
“Arrests and fines for violations will continue,” Aurangzeb said.
Breathing the toxic air has catastrophic health consequences, with the World Health Organization saying strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases can be triggered by prolonged exposure.
Smog is particularly pronounced in winter, when cold, denser air traps emissions from poor-quality fuels used to power the city’s vehicles and factories at ground level.
Last month, authorities banned schoolchildren from outdoor exercise until January and adjusted school hours to prevent children from traveling when the pollution is most punishing.
Children are particularly vulnerable because they have less developed lungs and breathe more rapidly, taking in more air relative to their size than adults.
Last week, the provincial environmental protection agency announced new restrictions in four “hot spots” in the city.
Tuk-tuks equipped with polluting two-stroke engines are banned, as are restaurants that barbecue without filters.
Government offices and private companies will have half their staff work from home starting Monday.
Construction work has been halted and street and food vendors, who often cook over open fires, must close at 8 pm.
With additional input from AFP
Pakistani airline Air Sial launches weekly flights from Islamabad to Riyadh
- Air Sial launches two flights per week from Islamabad to Riyadh, says airline
- Airline says will start flights from Lahore, other Pakistani cities to Riyadh “soon”
ISLAMABAD: Air Sial, one of Pakistan’s most prominent private airlines, this week launched its weekly flights from Islamabad to Riyadh, announcing that flights from the eastern city of Lahore to the Saudi capital will commence “soon.”
Thousands of Pakistanis visit the Kingdom every year where they live and work, and to perform the voluntary Umrah pilgrimage at some of the holiest sites in Islam in Makkah and Madinah.
Several Pakistani airlines offer direct flights to Jeddah, Riyadh and other Saudi cities at economical rates, promoting religious tourism and connectivity between the two close allies.
“Pakistani airline, Air Sial has commenced weekly flights to the Saudi capital Riyadh from Islamabad, with two flights per week,” Air Sial said in a statement it circulated among reporters on Sunday.
“The management has announced that flights to Lahore will also start soon.”
Pakistan’s Welfare Attaché, Rana Muhammad Masoom, inaugurated the airline’s regional office in Riyadh on Thursday, Air Sial said, adding that community members and Air Sial’s country and regional management were also present at the ceremony.
(please embed Air Sial tweet here)
“A cake-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the start of the weekly flights from Riyadh to Islamabad, and it was announced that new flights to Lahore and other cities will be launched soon,” the airline concluded.
Air Sial was inaugurated in 2020 by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry to improve air travel to and from Pakistan’s Sialkot city, a major industrial hub in Punjab. The airline uses a fleet of modern Airbus A320 aircraft for its operations.
Pakistan eyes enhanced trade, economic ties with Uzbekistan amid investment push
- Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan arrives in Tashkent for three-day official visit
- Khan to take part in fourth Uzbekistan-Pakistan Business Forum, says commerce ministry
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan is in Uzbekistan on a three-day visit aimed at enhancing bilateral trade, commerce and economic ties with the Central Asian state, his ministry confirmed on Sunday, amid Islamabad’s efforts to attract foreign investment to improve its economic prospects.
Pakistan has increasingly sought to enhance regional connectivity to landlocked Central Asian states by providing them access to its warm water ports. It recently offered Central Asian states to become part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, under which Beijing has pledged around $65 billion in energy, infrastructure and other projects in Pakistan.
Khan arrived in Tashkent on Saturday evening marking the start of his three-day visit to Uzbekistan, the commerce ministry said.
“Key agenda items include strategic meetings with top Uzbek officials such as Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Jamshed Khujaev and Transport Minister Mr. Ilkhom Makhkamov to discuss pivotal projects in trade, investment, and logistics,” the ministry said.
Khan’s visit will feature the ninth session of the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Inter-Governmental Commission (IGC) on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation, and the fourth Uzbekistan-Pakistan Business Forum, the commerce ministry said. The session will be co-chaired by Khan and Uzbek Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade Mr. Laziz Kudratov.
The ministry said that the Business Forum will host 33 Pakistani business delegates across various sectors for B2B meetings aimed at fostering new partnerships and enhancing trade.
“The minister’s visit reflects both nations’ dedication to deepening economic and technical collaborations and supporting mutual goals, including Uzbekistan’s ongoing WTO accession,” the ministry concluded.
Pakistan has increasingly sought to promote closer ties with regional allies to bolster its fragile $350 billion economy, which is currently suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
The South Asian country narrowly avoided a sovereign default last year when it secured a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Pakistan’s economic crisis saw its inflation reach double-digit figures, foreign exchange reserves plummet to historic lows and its currency weaken significantly against the US dollar over the past two years.
Pakistan pick pace-dominated XI to rattle Australia in first ODI
- Pakistan head into Melbourne ODI with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain and Haris Rauf in playing XI
- Green shirts will play three ODIs against Australia on Nov. 4, 8 and 10 at Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, respectively
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will head into the first ODI against Australia on Monday with fiery fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Hasnain featuring in the playing XI squad, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.
Pakistan’s new white-ball skipper Mohammad Rizwan will lead his side for the first time since assuming captaincy this month at Melbourne against Australia on Monday.
The South Asian country is scheduled to play three ODIs on Nov. 4, 8 and 10 in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, respectively before taking on Australia in a three-match T20I series on Nov. 14, 16 and 18.
“The men’s national selection committee has confirmed Pakistan’s playing XI for the first ODI against Australia,” the PCB said in a statement.
Rauf and Hasnain have both had ample experience playing on Australian pitches for the Big Bash League (BBL). Both bowlers have the ability to bowl above 150 kmph and bamboozle batters through sheer pace.
Australian pitches favor pace and bounce, serving as ideal hunting grounds for pacers from Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies in the past.
Afridi and Shah, Pakistan’s experienced pace bowlers, will return to the squad after they were dropped from the Test squad after England drubbed Pakistan in the first Test in Multan last month.
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Kamran Ghulam have both been included in the squad while the green shirts will rely on openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub to deliver the goods with the bat against Australia.
Playing XI:
Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain
