ISLAMABAD: The timid batting of Pakistan’s cricket team has left the country’s former cricketers and fans furious after rival India snatched a thrilling six-run win in the marquee game at the Twenty20 World Cup in New York.
A second successive loss in Group A on Sunday left Pakistan in danger of not advancing to the Super 8 stage of the tournament being jointly hosted by the US and the West Indies.
The United States, playing at the World Cup for first time, already made history last Thursday when it beat Pakistan in a Super Over after both teams were locked at 159 during the regulation 20-overs game.
Only two teams from each of the four groups advance to the second stage. So Pakistan needs to win its remaining games against Canada and Ireland and also hope results of other group games go in its favor to progress.
“I think I should have a template text ‘disappointed and hurt’ automatically set to be posted,” wrote former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We should give credit to Pakistan, they tried their best to lose this game, I could not think any other way,” Akhtar said on national television’s sports channel PTV Sports. “It was run-a-ball, nobody asked you to hit and do anything stupid. Shocking, surprised, disappointed, but that was expected.”
Akhtar said the Pakistan team is made up of ordinary cricketers and he has no hope the team will get better in the future.
“They won’t change,” he said. “You are demanding extraordinary things from average people, you won’t get it. When mediocrity comes in you can’t get beyond that. That’s what you are getting from your investment (in cricket) for the last 20 years.”
Akhtar also criticized the International Cricket Council for the drop-in pitches in New York where all the five games have been low-scoring ones.
“Who makes that kind of tracks?” he questioned. “You had one year to prepare yourself. Hello ICC, wake up.”
Pakistan blew an ideal opportunity after its fast bowlers had bowled out India for 119 in 19 overs on another tricky surface where batters continued to struggle. It was cruising along at 80-3 in 13 overs when set batter Mohammad Rizwan played a reckless shot against Jasprit Bumrah and eventually Pakistan got restricted at 113-7.
“Batsmen throw it away as Pakistan lose to India in low-scoring nailbiter,” read the headline on the front page of English daily newspaper Dawn. The newspaper also splashed the picture of Rizwan on his knee after getting clean bowled and Bumrah celebrating the dismissal with Virat Kohli.
“Pakistan squander solid start as India claim T20 thriller,” headlined The News, another English daily.
Pakistan’s former fast bowling greats Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, who commentated on the game from New York, also vented their anger after the defeat against India.
“They have been playing cricket for 10 years and I can’t teach them,” Akram said. “Rizwan has no game awareness. He should have known Bumrah was given the ball to take wickets and that the wise thing would have been to play his deliveries cautiously, but Rizwan went for the big shot and lost his wicket.”
Younis said it was a horrible performance from the batters.
“Pakistan, if you can’t win this game, what should I say?,” he said. “This was given to you on a plate and Pakistan really spilled it. It was horrible performance by the Pakistan batters. There were a few partnerships in the beginning but they couldn’t really finish the game.
Thousands of cricket-mad fans had gathered in front of large screens in major cities in Pakistan to watch the blockbuster contest between the two nuclear-armed nations that have not played in any bilateral cricket matches for over a decade, but regularly play against each other in the ICC tournaments.
At least 17,000 people watched the game live on screens at the Pindi Cricket Stadium ‘fan park’, specifically set up by the ICC.
“I can’t believe it,” said 20-year-old university student Ibrahim Irfan after he walked out of the stadium in disbelief with his four friends. “It’s disgusting to say the least. How can they lose a game while chasing such a small target? We need a major overhaul. We are sick and tired of watching the same useless batters like Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim.”
Ahmed Awan, another fan who watched the game on giant screen in Karachi, said Pakistan players play for personal milestones.
“They bowled well but the batting was disappointing. They are playing for personal milestones … they should open the batting with tailenders and also in the middle order. The openers should come in the latter half of the game, be it (captain) Babar (Azam) or Rizwan.”
Loss to rival India at T20 World Cup leaves former Pakistan cricket greats and fans furious
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Loss to rival India at T20 World Cup leaves former Pakistan cricket greats and fans furious
- A second successive loss in Group A on Sunday left Pakistan in danger of not advancing to the Super 8 stage of the tournament
- The United States, playing at the World Cup for first time, already made history last Thursday when it beat Pakistan in Super Over
Detention of Pakistan’s Imran Khan violates international law, UN working group says
- Geneva-based UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention says Khan should be released immediately
- UN working group says Khan’s legal woes part of “larger campaign of repression” against him and his PTI party
WASHINGTON: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s detention is arbitrary and in violation of international law, a UN human rights working group said in an opinion issued on Monday, adding the jailed politician should be released immediately.
The Geneva-based UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said, opens new tab that the “appropriate remedy would be to release Mr.Khan immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”
The UN working group said Khan’s legal woes were part of a “much larger campaign of repression” against him and his Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf (PTI) party. It said that in the lead up to the 2024 elections, members of Khan’s party were arrested and tortured and their rallies were disrupted. It also alleged “widespread fraud on election day, stealing dozens of parliamentary seats.”
The Pakistani embassy in Washington had no immediate comment. Pakistan’s election commission denies that the elections were rigged.
Khan has been in jail since last August and was convicted in some cases ahead of a national election in February. He is also fighting dozens of other cases which are continuing. Khan and his party say the charges were politically motivated to thwart his return to power.
In recent months, Pakistani courts have suspended Khan’s jail sentences in two cases about the illegal acquisition and sale of state gifts, and also overturned his conviction on charges of leaking state secrets.
However, he has remained in prison due to a conviction in another case in which a trial court ruled that his 2018 marriage was unlawful. Khan also faces a trial under anti-terrorism charges in connection with violence in May last year.
Khan came to power in 2018 and was ousted in 2022 after falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military. He alleged the US and Pakistani military played a role in his ousting through a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Both deny the accusations.
Multiple legal cases were brought against Khan after he was ousted which disqualified him as a candidate in February’s election.
Despite not running himself, candidates backed by Khan secured the highest number of seats, but the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) formed a coalition government.
The US, Britain and the European Union expressed concern about reported irregularities in the elections and urged a probe while United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about violence and the suspension of mobile communications services during the elections.
Nine militants killed in two operations in northwest Pakistan — army
- Islamabad blames ongoing surge in militant attacks on Pakistani Taliban militants it says are operating from Afghanistan
- Afghan Taliban rulers in Kabul say violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue, it does not allow militants to operate on its territory
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army’s media wing said on Monday nine militants had been killed in two separate military operations in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, amid a surge of militancy in the region.
Islamabad blames an ongoing rise in militant attacks on its territory on neighboring Afghanistan, saying Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, leaders have taken refuge there and run camps to train insurgents to launch attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban rulers in Kabul say rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue for Islamabad and it does not allow militants to operate on its soil.
The TTP pledges allegiance to, and gets its name from, the Afghan Taliban, but is not directly a part of the group. Its stated aim is to impose Islamic religious law in Pakistan, as the Taliban have done in Afghanistan.
“An intelligence based operation was conducted in Tira in Khyber District, where seven terrorists … were sent to hell by the Security Forces,” the army’s media wing said. “The killed terrorists were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area and were wanted by Law Enforcement Agencies. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the killed terrorists.”
In another operation conducted in Lakki Marwat district, the amry said troops “effectively engaged” and killed two militants.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any terrorist found in the area as the Security Forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” the army said.
Pakistani forces were able to effectively dismantle the TTP and kill most of its top leadership in a string of military operations from 2014 onwards in the country’s tribal areas, driving most of the fighters across the border into Afghanistan, where Islamabad says they have regrouped. Kabul denies this.
Last month, the federal government announced it would launch a new counter-terrorism operation, Azm-e-Istehkam, but the campaign has so far been opposed by opposition parties.
Pakistani PM on official visit to Tajikistan from today amid investment push
- Islamabad wants to enhance its role as trade hub connecting landlocked Central Asia with rest of the world
- In April, Pakistan opened its trade gateway to Central Asia with the first potato shipment to Tajikistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be on an official visit to Tajikistan from today, Tuesday, the foreign office said, as the South Asian country moves to solidify ties with Central Asian republics.
Pakistan is pushing to enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting the landlocked Central Asian states with the rest of the world, leveraging its strategic geographical position.
In recent weeks, there has been a flurry of visits, investment talks and economic activity between Pakistan and Central Asian states and last week, Sharif chaired a special meeting attended by senior government ministers on how to enhance relations with the region, particularly in the areas of economy and investment.
“At the invitation of President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to Dushanbe, Tajikistan from 2-3 July 2024,” the foreign office said.
“In Dushanbe, the Prime Minister will meet President Emomali Rahmon, Chairman of Majlisi Namoyandagon of Majlisi Oli Mahmadtoir Zoir Zokirzoda and Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda.”
The foreign office said the two sides would engage in “wide-ranging discussions on areas of mutual interest” to deepen cooperation, especially in the areas of regional connectivity, trade, people-to-people contacts and energy.
“The two sides will also sign agreements and MoUs in diverse areas of cooperation,” the foreign office added.
On Monday, Sharif also received the ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin.
“The Prime Minister conveyed his greetings to the President of Kazakhstan, H.E. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and expressed his desire to strengthen the excellent bilateral relations between Pakistan and Kazakhstan,” the PM office said. “He said he was looking forward to his meeting with President Tokayev during his upcoming visit to Astana for the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting on 3-4 July, 2024.”
During the meeting, Sharif emphasized the “need to enhance trade and investment, while also focusing on regional connectivity and security.”
In May, Pakistan’s investment minister reaffirmed the country’s resolve to cooperate with Central Asian states as Islamabad pushes forward an ambitious agenda to bolster trade activities as it grapples with a macroeconomic crisis.
“Pakistan has reaffirmed the resolve to cooperate with Central Asian countries to boost economic and trade activities in the region,” the state-run Radio Pakistan reported, quoting Pakistan’s Investment Minister Abdul Aleem Khan.
“He said Pakistan’s Port Qasim and Gwadar port are available for Central Asia’s trade routes.”
In April, Pakistan opened its trade gateway to Central Asia with the first potato shipment to Tajikistan.
Woman, two children killed in land mine blast in Pakistan’s remote southwest
- It was unclear who had laid down the land mine and when in a province where Baloch rebels frequently attack security officials
- Balochistan has seen a decades-long insurgency against what separatists call the unfair exploitation of resources
QUETTA: A woman and her two children were killed in a land mine blast in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Monday, paramilitary officials said.
Balochistan has seen a decades-long insurgency against what separatists call the unfair exploitation of resources in the mineral-rich region. Most of the separatist groups operate independently, but some recent reports in local media have pointed to increasing cooperation between them and with the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the TTP.
Pakistani security forces have been the main focus of sepratists and other militants in the province, but in recent years they have also targeted Chinese interests, given Beijing’s increasing economic footprint in the region.
“Family members of Mohammad Ali were coming back to their home on Monday morning when they stepped on a land mine outside their residence, killing a woman and two children aged five and two years old,” Levies sepoy Abdul Rasheed told Arab News, saying the incident took place in Gabeen village in Kech district of Balochistan.
It was unclear who had laid down the land mine and when in a province where Baloch rebels frequently attack security officials, gas pipelines, electricity infrastructure and transport links.
“Government of Balochistan along with law enforcement agencies are taking concrete measures to wipe out terrorists and their facilitators,” Home Minister Mir Zia Langove said, “Human rights organizations working in Pakistan should raise their voice against the murders of women and children.”
Low-cost airline flydubai starts flights to Islamabad, Lahore
- Flydubai started Pakistan operations in 2010 with launch of flights to Karachi
- Carrier also serves Pakistani cities of Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta and Sialkot
KARACHI: Dubai-based low-cost airline flydubai has started flights to Islamabad and Lahore, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority said on Monday, with the first flights in both cities greeted with water cannon salutes.
Flydubai first started operating in Pakistan in 2010 with the launch of flights to the southern port city of Karachi. The carrier also serves the cities of Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta and Sialkot.
“Flydubai has also started flights to Islamabad,” CAA said in a statement. “Inaugural flight FZ 353 arrived in Islamabad from Dubai at 1:55am.”
A small dinner ceremony was organized on the occasion, CAA said, and the inaugural flight carrying 153 passengers was given a water cannon salute by the Rescue and Fire Fighting Service.
The flight returned to Dubai at 220pm on Monday with 162 passengers on board.
Separately, the CAA said flydubai’s Flight FZ 359 arrived in Lahore at 429am.
“A cake cutting ceremony was organized on this occasion and gifts were presented to the passengers,” CAA said. “Flydubai’s inaugural flight to Lahore was presented with a water cannon salute.”
In a press release last month when flydubai announced it would start flights to Lahore and Islamabad, Hamad Obaidalla, chief commercial officer of the airline, said Pakistan had long been an important market for the carrier:
“Since 2010 when we first started operations to the market, we have seen sustained demand for travel and with the start of our daily services to Islamabad and Lahore, we look forward to offering passengers more opportunities to explore Dubai, the GCC region and beyond on the flydubai network.”
As per the airline, the return business class fares from DXB to ISB start from AED 5,500 ($1497) and economy class fares from AED 1,300 ($353). Return business class fares from ISB to DXB start from Rs400,000 ($1436) and economy class fares from Rs120,000 ($430).
