ISLAMABAD: All eyes will be on Dubai today, Sunday, as arch-rivals India and Pakistan gear up to lock horns in a key match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. 

Pakistan made an impressive start to their World Cup campaign, defeating fellow Asian giants Sri Lanka by 31 runs on Thursday. India, on the other hand, did not do so well against New Zealand. The blue shirts lost their first match of the tournament by 58 runs on Friday. 

Group A comprises of Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka while Group B consists of England, South Africa, Bangladesh, West Indies and Scotland. 

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said her team would be looking to carry forward their momentum against India when the two teams meet on Sunday. 

“The one who plays well, wins the match on the day,” Sana said. “So, we will try to carry the momentum that we have gained from here.”

Meanwhile, Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues said the team knows every game is crucial for them. 

“But at the same time, we’re going to go one game at a time and just make sure we stick to our process and do our job well,” she said. 

“And I think if we can do that, I think if we play our best cricket, I think we can win matches.”

The match is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.

SQUADS:

Pakistan: Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal (subject to fitness), Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan. Traveling reserve: Najiha Alvi (wk). Non-traveling reserves: Rameen Shamim, Umm-e-Hani

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia (subject to fitness), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness), Sajana Sajeevan. Traveling reserves: Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor. Non-Traveling reserves: Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra

ISLAMABAD: Mobile phone services in Pakistan’s capital remained suspended and all major arteries leading to Islamabad were blocked on Sunday as a protest by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party entered its third day.

Hundreds of Khan supporters arrived in Islamabad from various parts of the country on Friday to take part in a protest at D-Chowk. Over the course of two days, clashes between Khan supporters and police turned violent, with police firing tear gas to disperse protesters. The government has said that dozens of cops were injured in clashes between the two sides. 

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced they were protesting against the government’s proposed constitutional amendments that it claims are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary, with the government repudiating the charge. The party has also been trying to mobilize supporters through protests and public gatherings to pressure the government for the release of Khan, who has been in prison since August last year and faces a slew of legal challenges. 

Tensions between the government and the PTI escalated on Saturday after the paramilitary Rangers force stormed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s administration office in Islamabad, leading to the party saying that KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, a close Khan aide who was leading a large caravan of supporters in Islamabad, had been “kidnapped.”

“Release CM KP Ali Amin Khan Gandapur immediately,” Omar Ayub Khan, a senior PTI leader, wrote on social media platform X on Saturday. “His abduction from KP House is blatant terrorism.”

The PTI’s claims led the state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) to deny “rumors” of Gandapur’s arrest on Saturday, saying they were “baseless.”

PTV quoted official sources, as local media channels widely aired videos of heavy deployment of law enforcement and paramilitary personnel at the KP House in Islamabad.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters on Saturday that Islamabad had been “attacked” under Gandapur’s leadership, reiterating that the PTI wanted to create a situation where the government could not hold the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit scheduled to be held on October 15 and 16. 

However, he did not answer a question about Gandapur’s whereabouts. 

The minister also said the police had arrested 41 Afghan nationals during the clashes with the PTI and apprehended 120 Afghan citizens since Friday. Naqvi maintained the PTI protesters had fired upon police personnel on their way to Islamabad and injured about 85 of them during clashes.

The minister said later in the day that the government would clear the city of all the protesters and make life easier for the residents of Islamabad.

As tensions in Islamabad continue to remain high, the KP Assembly Speaker summoned an emergency session of the assembly on Sunday, which had earlier been adjourned till Monday.