RAWALPINDI: Pacemen Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana shared nine wickets on Monday to set Bangladesh on course for victory over Pakistan before rain stopped play on the fourth day of the second Test.
Hasan took 5-43 while Nahid added 4-44 — both career-best figures — in dismissing Pakistan for 172 in their second innings and giving the visitors a target of 185 to secure a 2-0 series win in Rawalpindi.
Openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam raced to 42 without loss — with Zakir hitting two sixes and two boundaries — before rain clouds gathered and bad light suspended play one over after the tea break.
Bangladesh lead the two-match series 1-0 after a surprise win in Rawalpindi last month, their first in 14 tests against Pakistan.
They have only won two series away from home — against the West Indies in 2009 and Zimbabwe in 2021 — and need another 143 runs on the final day on Tuesday to secure victory.
Pakistan had been 117-6 at lunch, with Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha fighting to save the hosts’ blushes before Hasan ended their 55-run stand.
He had Rizwan caught behind for 43 and had Mohammad Ali caught in the slips on the next ball for a golden duck to leave Pakistan teetering on 136-8.
Salman, who top-scored with 47, added 27 for the last wicket with Mir Hamza before Hasan wrapped up the innings with his fifth wicket, getting Hamza caught in the slip.
The morning session belonged to 21-year-old Nahid, who dismissed Shan Masood (28), Babar Azam (11) and Saud Shakeel (two) in a spell of express bowling.
The rain-affected Test saw Friday’s first day’s play washed out and then a remarkable fightback by Bangladesh on Sunday.
The visitors were 26-6 in reply to Pakistan’s first innings 274 before Liton Das (138) put together a seventh-wicket partnership of 165 with Mehidy Hasan Miraz (78) that enabled Bangladesh to reach 262.
Pakistan took their overnight score of 9-2 to 47-2 in 10 overs on Monday before Bangladesh broke through with a spell of three wickets for 18 runs.
Saim Ayub fell for 20 to a brilliant catch by Najmul Hossain at mid-off as the opener failed to keep down a drive off fast bowler Taskin Ahmed.
Nahid then had Pakistan skipper Masood caught behind by Liton off a wild shot before getting the prized wicket of Azam, caught at slip off a sharp delivery in his next over.
Nahid grabbed his third by dismissing Shakeel and went to lunch with figures of 3-22 off five overs.
Rain halts Bangladesh victory bid after Hasan, Nahid demolish Pakistan
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Rain halts Bangladesh victory bid after Hasan, Nahid demolish Pakistan
- Hasan took 5-43 while Nahid added 4-44, both career-best figures, in dismissing Pakistan for 172 in second innings
- Openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam raced to 42 without loss, with Zakir hitting two sixes and two boundaries
Pakistan urges world powers to intervene to end Israel’s war on Gaza
- PM Shehbaz Sharif laments Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza that have killed over 41,000 since last year
- Condemns Israeli military for killing UN aid workers in Gaza, ignoring UN Security Council resolutions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week held Israel responsible for killing thousands of Palestinians since last year, calling on world powers to intervene and end the Jewish state’s military campaign in Gaza.
Israel launched a war on Gaza on Oct. 7 after Hamas fighters stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israeli military campaign has since demolished swathes of the besieged enclave, killed more than 41,00 people, displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million people multiple times, and given rise to deadly hunger and disease in the area.
With thousands of civilians killed in Gaza, questions have been raised at the UN Security Council’s ineffectiveness in brokering a ceasefire. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week described the Security Council as an “outdated,” “unfair” and “ineffective system,” saying its failure to end Israel’s war on Gaza has damaged the credibility of the organization.
“We have been condemning Israel’s aggression and barbarity and will condemn it today as well,” Sharif said on Thursday while addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet.
“But the matter has now reached a point beyond condemnations. The international conscience must awaken and fulfill its obligations [to end Israel’s war],” he added.
He criticized Israel for killing UN aid workers in Palestine and also violating resolutions passed by the Security Council on Gaza.
“UN staff members responsible for arranging polio [vaccinations] and food were killed there,” Sharif lamented. “If these incidents had taken place in any other country, it would have caused a storm.”
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other multilateral platforms. The South Asian country has also dispatched several aid consignments for the Palestinians.
Saleema Imtiaz becomes first Pakistani woman to be nominated to ICC’s umpire panel
- Imtiaz will now be able to officiate in women’s bilateral international matches, ICC Women’s Events
- Pakistani woman umpire is also the mother of Pakistani international woman cricketer Kainat Imtiaz
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani umpire Saleema Imtiaz made history on Sunday after she was nominated to the ICC’s International Panel of Development Umpires, making her the first woman from her country to achieve the honor.
The nomination qualifies Imtiaz, 52, to officiate in women’s bilateral international matches and ICC Women’s Events, marking what the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said was a “major milestone” in the country’s cricketing history.
Imtiaz, who is the mother of Pakistan women’s international player Kainat Imtiaz, began her umpiring career with the PCB Women’s Umpires Panel in 2008. Her extensive experience includes officiating in high-profile events under the Asian Cricket Council such as the 2022 and 2024 ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and the 2023 ACC Emerging Women’s Cup in Hong Kong.
“I am beyond thrilled to join the ICC International Panel of Development Umpires,” Imtiaz said according to a press release issued by the PCB. “I owe immense gratitude to the Pakistan Cricket Board for the invaluable opportunities that paved the way for this achievement.”
She described her journey as one filled with “hard work and personal sacrifices,” adding that the achievement was not only a win for her but for every aspiring Pakistani woman cricketer and umpire.
“I hope my success motivates countless women who dream of making their mark in the sport,” Imtiaz said. “This moment reflects the growing influence of women in cricket and the PCB’s commitment to fostering that development.”
Her first on-field appointment in a bilateral series will see her officiate the Pakistan-South Africa women’s T20I series in Multan, which begins on Monday.
She will be partnered by Nasir Hussain from the PCB Elite Panel of Umpires, while Humairah Farah will serve as the third umpire and Muhammad Javed Malik from the PCB International Panel of Match Referees will oversee the series as match referee.
“With her nomination to the ICC International Panel, Saleema Imtiaz not only breaks barriers but also sets an inspiring precedent for the next generation of female cricket professionals,” the PCB said.
Two-day international maritime conference concludes in Karachi
- Pakistan has immense potential in maritime affairs industry, says International Maritime Organization secretary-general
- Two-day conference sought to foster Islamabad’s global and regional maritime partnerships, facilitate investments
ISLAMABAD: A two-day International Maritime Sustainability Exhibition and Conference (IMSEC) that sought to foster Islamabad’s global and regional partnerships and facilitate investments concluded in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Saturday, the country’s maritime affairs ministry said.
The two-day conference from Sept. 13-14 was attended by the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco, marking it the first-ever visit by an IMO chief to the South Asian country.
“I am happy to visit Pakistan and this country has immense potential in the maritime industry,” Velasco was quoted as saying by the maritime affairs industry as the conference concluded.
“We have discussed various plans and strategies during this conference, and I am confident that Pakistan will continue to develop its shipping, recycling, and fisheries sectors, with a focus on environmental sustainability,” Velasco added.
The IMO chief stressed the agency’s commitment to providing Pakistan with technical facilities and support to bolster its maritime capabilities. He highlighted the significance of the country’s ports, which he said he had personally visited during his stay and underlined the UN agency’s ongoing programs related to global maritime affairs.
Admiral Faisal Abbasi, the commander of the Pakistan fleet, noted that the country’s maritime boundaries have remained free of piracy incidents throughout its history. He commended the role of the Pakistan Navy in combating piracy in the Gulf of Aden, a key waterway for global trade.
“The Pakistan Navy continues to take proactive steps in promoting and raising awareness about the importance of the maritime economy, with the ‘blue economy’ being the central theme of this year’s conference,” Abbasi said.
Abbasi announced that the next maritime conference will be held in November 2025, with more programs aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s role in the global maritime industry.
As traces of Pakistani megacity’s past vanish, one flamboyant pink palace endures
- Karachi’s iconic Mohatta Palace was built during the 1920s by Hindu entrepreneur Shivratan Mohatta
- Dozens of communities competing for space mean there’s little effort to protect city’s historic sites
KARACHI: Stained glass windows, a sweeping staircase and embellished interiors make Mohatta Palace a gem in Karachi, a Pakistani megacity of 20 million people. Peacocks roam the lawn and the sounds of construction and traffic melt away as visitors enter the grounds.
The pink stone balustrades, domes and parapets look like they’ve been plucked from the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, a relic of a time when Muslims and Hindus lived side by side in the port city.
But magnificence is no guarantee of survival in a city where land is scarce and development is rampant. Demolition, encroachment, neglect, piecemeal conservation laws and vandalism are eroding signs of Karachi’s past.
The building’s trustees have fended off an attempt to turn it into a dental college, but there’s still a decades-long lawsuit in which heirs of a former owner are trying to take control of the land. It sat empty for almost two decades before formally opening as a museum in 1999.
The palace sits on prime real estate in the desirable neighborhood of Old Clifton, among mansions, businesses and upmarket restaurants.
The land under buildings like the Mohatta Palace is widely coveted, said palace lawyer Faisal Siddiqi. “It shows that greed is more important than heritage.”
Karachi’s population grows by around 2 percent every year and with dozens of communities and cultures competing for space there’s little effort to protect the city’s historic sites.
For most Pakistanis, the palace is the closest they’ll get to the architectural splendor of India’s Rajasthan, because travel restrictions and hostile bureaucracies largely keep people in either country from crossing the border for leisure, study or work.
Karachi’s multicultural past makes it harder to find champions for preservation than in a city like Lahore, with its strong connection to the Muslim-dominated Mughal Empire, said Heba Hashmi, a heritage manager and maritime archaeologist.
“The scale of organic local community support needed to prioritize government investment in the preservation effort is nearly impossible to garner in a city as socially fragmented as Karachi,” she said.
Mohatta Palace is a symbol of that diversity. Hindu entrepreneur Shivratan Mohatta had it built in the 1920s because he wanted a coastal residence for his ailing wife to benefit from the Arabian Sea breeze. Hundreds of donkey carts carried the distinctively colored pink stone from Jodhpur, now across the border in India.
He left after partition in 1947, when India and Pakistan were carved from the former British Empire as independent nations, and for a time the palace was occupied by the Foreign Ministry.
Next, it passed into the hands of Pakistani political royalty as the home of Fatima Jinnah, the younger sister of Pakistan’s first leader and a powerful politician in her own right.
After her death, the authorities gave the building to her sister Shirin, but Shirin’s passing in 1980 sparked a court fight between people saying they were her relatives, and a court ordered the building sealed.
The darkened and empty palace, with its overgrown gardens and padlocked gates, caught people’s imagination. Rumors spread of spirits and supernatural happenings.
Someone who heard the stories as a young girl was Nasreen Askari, now the museum’s director.
“As a child I used to rush past,” she said. “I was told it was a bhoot (ghost) bungalow and warned, don’t go there.”
Visitor Ahmed Tariq had heard a lot about the palace’s architecture and history. “I’m from Bahawalpur (in Punjab, India) where we have the Noor Mahal palace, so I wanted to look at this one. It’s well-maintained, there’s a lot of detail and effort in the presentations. It’s been a good experience.”
But the money to maintain the palace isn’t coming from admission fees.
General admission is 30 rupees, or 10 US cents, and it’s free for students, children and seniors. On a sweltering afternoon, the palace drew just a trickle of visitors.
It’s open Tuesday to Sunday but closes on public holidays; even the 11 a.m.-6 p.m. hours are not conducive for a late-night city like Karachi.
The palace is rented out for corporate and charitable events. Local media report that residents grumble about traffic and noise levels.
But the palace doesn’t welcome all attention, even if it could help carve out a space for the building in modern Pakistan.
Rumors about ghosts still spread by TikTok, pulling in influencers looking for spooky stories. But the palace bans filming inside, and briefly banned TikTokers.
“It is not the attention the trustees wanted,” said Askari. “That’s what happens when you have anything of consequence or unusual. It catches the eye.”
A sign on the gates also prohibits fashion shoots, weddings and filming for commercials.
“We could make so much money, but the floodgates would open,” said Askari. “There would be non-stop weddings and no space for visitors or events, so much cleaning up as well.”
Hashmi, the archaeologist, said there is often a strong sense of territorialism around the sites that have been preserved.
“It counterproductively converts a site of public heritage into an exclusive and often expensive artifact for selective consumption.”
Parliament ‘supreme’ institution, says Pakistan PM ahead of key judicial legislation
- Government plans to introduce constitutional amendment in parliament to increase retirement age of apex court judges
- Matters concerning the naton should be resolved through the parliament, says Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week described the parliament as the country’s “supreme institution” through which important matters should be resolved, as the government gears up to introduce key legislation to extend the retirement age of Supreme Court judges.
Sharif’s weak coalition government is planning to get a constitutional amendment passed from parliament to allegedly give an extended term to the country’s top judge. The amendment requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament.
The country’s main opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has criticized the move, alleging that it was designed to favor the country’s chief justice. Former prime minister Imran Khan, the PTI’s founder, this week warned of nationwide protests if the amendment was approved.
“The parliament is the country’s supreme institution,” Sharif said while hosting a dinner for legislators on Saturday night, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“To ensure the sanctity of the parliament is maintained, it is necessary that legislation in the national and public’s interest takes place.”
The Pakistani premier said matters concerning the nation should be resolved through the parliament.
The dinner was attended by federal ministers and lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Balochistan Awami Party, National Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Zia, the PMO said.
Sharif’s coalition government is trying to muster the support of enough lawmakers for a two-thirds majority to get the constitutional amendment passed, fearing it can lose a portion of its existing number of seats after an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court on the reserved seats for women and minorities in parliament.
In a verdict on July 12, a 13-member bench of the court declared the PTI eligible for the reserved seats after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) forced the party’s candidates to contest the Feb. 8 polls as independents.
The ECP took the decision after the PTI lost its election symbol in the wake of a prolonged legal battle for not holding proper intra-party polls. Subsequently, the election body refused the reserved seats to the PTI on technical grounds, saying they were only meant for political parties instead of independent candidates.
The Supreme Court overturned the ECP decision, saying it had misconstrued an earlier verdict related to the election symbol by depriving the PTI of the reserved seats. Instead of giving the seats to the party, however, the election body filed a petition, seeking guidance on the matter and questioning the validity of the party’s organizational structure under the circumstances.
In a short order on Saturday, the apex court censured the election regulatory authority for its “dilatory tactics” to avoid the implementation of the judgment.
As per the official tally, the ruling coalition is short of at least 13 lawmakers in the National Assembly and nine in the Senate to gain the required two-thirds majority.
