Pakistan expresses solidarity with Spain as torrential rains, floods kill 62 

Residents are pictured next to cars piled in a street covered in mud following floods in Picanya, near Valencia, eastern Spain, on October 30, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 30 October 2024
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Pakistan expresses solidarity with Spain as torrential rains, floods kill 62 

  • Heavy storms in Spain’s southern and eastern regions since Tuesday have triggered flash floods
  • Spain has deployed over 1,000 soldiers in affected areas to coordinate rescue efforts for citizens

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed solidarity with Spain as flash floods triggered by torrential rains killed at least 62 people in the country, local authorities said.

Heavy rains triggered floods in southern and eastern Spain on Tuesday, with footage on social media showing cars being swept away by raging waters. 

Over 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units have been deployed in affected areas to coordinate rescue efforts, Spanish media reports said. 

“On behalf of the people and government of Pakistan, I extend our deepest sympathies and solidarity to the people of Spain and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez following the tragic floods and loss of life,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. 

“Pakistan stands in solidarity with friendly people of Spain at this challenging time.”

Spain’s Valencia has been the hardest-hit province in the country. Emergency services in the province urged citizens to avoid any road travel and to follow further updates from official sources.

As the crisis looms, Sánchez said the government would not abandon those affected by the floods. 

“All of Spain weeps with all of you,” he said during a televised address. “Our absolute priority is to help you… We won’t abandon you.”

Pakistan is ranked consistently as one of the world’s worst affected countries due to climate change effects. Heavy monsoon rains in 2022 killed over 1,700 people and caused damages over $30 billion to the South Asian country. 


India’s inevitable win over Pakistan reveals a rivalry running on empty

Updated 24 February 2025
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India’s inevitable win over Pakistan reveals a rivalry running on empty

  • Champions Trophy clash in Dubai showed two teams moving in opposite directions
  • It was not until the 42nd over that a Pakistani batter hit a six, through Khushdil Shah

DUBAI: Living within a stone’s throw of the Dubai International Stadium, I was able to watch and experience how the atmosphere started to build before this eagerly awaited clash between India and Pakistan in the ICC Champions trophy.

More than three hours before the first ball was bowled, the horns started their familiar chorus. The rituals remained unchanged — the early pilgrimage to the stadium, the face paint, the flags. Despite this, something fundamental has changed in cricket’s most politicized rivalry. The match laid this truth bare.

What we witnessed was not a contest between two equals. Although this is still the message pumped out by the marketing machine and broadcasters continue to sell India against Pakistan as the game’s ultimate clash, the reality on the field tells a different story. In 36 C heat, we watched a stark display of two teams moving in opposing directions.

The demographic in the stands told its own story — a drowning sea of blue with mere patches of green. A visual metaphor for the competitive imbalance that has come to define these encounters. Even Pakistan’s supporters, who are usually defiant and vocal in even the toughest of times, sensed the inevitability of what was coming.

The match felt like a formality from the start. Pakistan’s approach was puzzling at best and self-destructive at worst. After losing Babar Azam early on, followed by Imam-ul-Haq, who ran himself out on his return to the team, the innings descended into an exercise of damage limitation. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan needed to rebuild yet still try to be positive. It seemed they had a different plan altogether. Their lack of intent was so profound as to be puzzling. If they were trying to provide a basis for a late assault, then what should not happen is for them both to be dismissed in quick succession. This is exactly what happened.

Any hope of a challenging total vanished and Pakistan lost six wickets for 82 in less than 15 overs, setting India a modest total of 242 to chase.

India’s approach was the opposite of Pakistan’s. This brought the crowd alive and, for the first time, it felt that there were people in the stadium.

It was not until the 42nd over that a Pakistani batter hit a six, through Khushdil Shah. Rohit Sharma took only six balls to launch Naseem Shah for six. This was not just a shot, it was a pathological hammer blow, a statement that India no longer regards Pakistan as an equal but just another team to be dispatched.

Shubman Gill, the ICC’s new No. 1 ranked batter, had the crowd in awe of his classical shots, mixed with aggression. Even the Pakistani contingent clapped his majestic cover drives. Then came a vintage Virat Kohli performance. He played simple cricket against the spinners and attacked the seamers, saying afterwards: “I was happy with the template, it’s how I play in ODIs.”

India never left second gear because they never needed to and therein lies the problem. Rivalries require uncertainty. Both teams need to believe that they can win and, more importantly, they need both sets of fans to believe in the possibility of a victory. The Ashes have endured because, even when one team is stronger, the other always has the potential to retaliate. India against Australia captivates because both teams possess the ability to dominate.

India against Pakistan seems to have lost its edge on the field. The political tensions add edge to these encounters, but they can no longer mask the cricketing chasm that has opened up between the teams. We seem to be left with a rivalry running on nostalgia, fueled by memories of Miandad’s last-ball six in 1986 and Tendulkar’s uppercut off Shoaib Aktar’s bowling in 2003. Now, the contests are failing to create new moments worthy of that history.

The empty seats at the start of play would be unthinkable a decade ago for an India-Pakistan match. The crowd never reached its traditional fever pitch for such a match as it has become too one sided and predictable. “Men against boys,” was the sentiment being bandied about in the stands. It is hard to argue with that assessment. India’s victory felt inevitable from the moment Shakeel was caught in the deep. This is not the stuff of which great rivalries are made. They should make your heart race. They should keep you on the edge of your seat. They should make you believe in miracles.

There were no miracles, no edge-of-seat moments, no heart-racing finishes. Just the methodical dismantling of one team by another, executed with clinical efficiency that speaks of a rivalry in name only.

Perhaps it is time to be honest about what India versus Pakistan has become — a historical rivalry whose greatness now resides more in the past than the present. While the political undertones ensure these matches will always carry extra significance, the on-field contest has lost its competitive soul. For this rivalry to reclaim its place at cricket’s summit, Pakistan needs to rediscover its swagger, its intent and, most importantly, its belief. Until then, we are left with echoes of what once was, memories being played out to an increasingly indifferent audience.

The result has put India on the brink of a semi-final and Pakistan on the brink of elimination. Mathematically, there is a chance but, if New Zealand beat Bangladesh, it would mean that Pakistan becomes the first team to be ousted from the tournament, after only two matches. This will be a bitter blow. Pakistan’s return to hosting an ICC tournament will end in deep disappointment, after the high hopes which had built up.

Cricket in Pakistan has been badly buffeted from all angles in recent years. This latest defeat by India will serve only to make life in the eye of the storm even more uncomfortable.


Pakistan, Azerbaijan sign agreements on trade, energy, tourism 

Updated 24 February 2025
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Pakistan, Azerbaijan sign agreements on trade, energy, tourism 

  • Shehbaz Sharif meets Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in Baku during two-day visit
  • Aliyev says both sides discuss cooperation in energy, defense manufacturing, connectivity 

ISLAMABAD: The governments of Pakistan and Azerbaijan signed multiple agreements on Monday to enhance cooperation in the trade, energy, tourism and education sectors as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visits Baku with an eye to enhancing bilateral trade and investment with landlocked Central Asia.

Sharif arrived in Baku on Sunday for talks on defense, trade and energy, his government said. The latest visit is part of Pakistan’s broader push at economic diplomacy with the Central Asian republics, to whom it has offered access to its southern ports in Karachi and Gwadar. In July 2024, Azerbaijan announced a $2 billion investment in Pakistan during a visit by President Ilham Aliyev to Islamabad. In September last year, Pakistan signed a contract to supply JF-17 Block III fighter jets to Azerbaijan, marking the deepening of defense cooperation.

On Monday, Sharif met Aliyev in Baku for delegation-level talks and oversaw the signing of several memorandums of understanding (MoUs). 

“We received concrete projects from Pakistan, and Azerbaijani representatives are evaluating them … and today with my brother [Shehbaz Sharif] we put very ambitious but at the same time realistic target to finalize all the discussions [on projects] within one month and by the beginning of April to prepare documents for signing,” Aliyev said during a press conference with Sharif before they attended a joint business forum. 

“These projects cover infrastructure, development areas as well as energy, economic, mining and maybe some others.”

Aliyev said Pakistan and Azerbaijan had discussed cooperation in the defense sector, including the joint manufacturing of defense industry items. 

“Azerbaijan has already acquired defense equipment from Pakistan and we are satisfied with the quality of this equipment and we will continue to do it,” the Azeri leader said. 

He also spoke about increased connectivity and better transport between the two nations, as well as enhancing the bilateral trade turnover to more than its current status of “several tens of millions of US dollars.”

“I am extremely grateful to you when you announced that Azerbaijan intends to invest $2 billion in Pakistan in ventures which are mutually beneficial, which will bring dividends to both countries,” Sharif said during his speech. 

Separately, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said the two governments had signed multiple MoUs and agreements to boost bilateral cooperation in fields ranging from trade, energy, tourism and education. 

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organization (FWO) and Pakistan State Ooil (PSO) signed an MoU for collaboration in the Machike-Thallian-Tarujabba White Oil Pipeline Project which will stretch from the southern port city of Karachi to the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The two sides also signed an amendment agreement to an existing framework agreement for the sale and purchase of LNG cargoes.

An MoU between Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan and Pakistan’s Lahore cities was signed to promote cooperation in culture, tourism, urban development, education, science, economy and other fields. 

During Aliyev’s Pakistan visit last year, a joint committee was set up to materialize projects in trade, commerce, information technology, tourism, telecommunication, mineral resources and other sectors. Sharif said at the time the current trade volume of $100 million did not reflect the “true” trade potential between the two countries.


Pakistan reports first locally transmitted case of mpox virus

Updated 24 February 2025
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Pakistan reports first locally transmitted case of mpox virus

  • Two new cases reported in Peshawar of which one was locally transmitted
  • Pakistan reported eight cases of mpox last year and three so far this year

PESHAWAR: Pakistan has reported two new mpox cases in the northwestern city of Peshawar, of which one is the South Asian nation’s first locally transmitted case, a health official said on Monday.

Pakistan reported eight cases last year and three this year of mpox, which causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems face a higher risk of complications from the infection.

Mpox can spread through close contact with an infected person such as skin-to-skin touching or cuts, sexual activity, mouth-to-mouth contact, or breathing in infectious respiratory particles.

The health department for Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said two new cases had been reported in a couple.

“It makes two (cases) but the wife is locally transmitted, and the husband has a travel history from a Gulf country,” health department public relation officer Ataullah Khan told Arab News on Monday. 

KP Health Adviser Ihtesham Ali said in a statement on Sunday this was the first locally transmitted mpox case as all previously reported cases were linked to international travel.

KP Public Health Director Dr. Fazal Majeed said in the statement the husband had showed no symptoms upon his arrival in Pakistan but developed them by Feb. 6 and chose to stay home for nearly two weeks instead of seeking medical treatment.

The woman was hospitalized on Feb. 18 after experiencing fever, body aches and rashes on her body and inside her mouth, he said, adding that the mpox virus was confirmed on Feb. 21.

A team was formed to screen all the family members and necessary preventive measures were implemented including home isolation for the couple.

Pakistan reported its first mpox case of 2025 in Peshawar in January. 

Last year, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency over the spread of a new, more dangerous, mutated strain of mpox, named clade I. The strain first emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spread to several countries, prompting increased monitoring and preventive measures worldwide.

Pakistan has so far not reported any cases of the new mutation.


Pakistan PM hopes pause in Gaza fighting converts into ‘permanent ceasefire’

Updated 24 February 2025
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Pakistan PM hopes pause in Gaza fighting converts into ‘permanent ceasefire’

  • Israel, Hamas agreed to uneasy truce in January after 15 months of fighting 
  • Dream of a Palestinian state to materialize sooner than later, says Shehbaz Sharif 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday hoped that the brief pause in fighting in Gaza between Hamas and Israel turns into a permanent ceasefire so that the dream of a Palestinian state can be materialized “sooner rather than later.”

Israel and Hamas agreed to an uneasy truce in January which brought about a pause in 15 months of fighting between the two sides. The first phase of the uneasy truce is due to expire in early March and details of a planned subsequent phase have not been agreed.

Tensions, however, have once again surged despite the truce and a series of exchange of prisoners between both sides. Israel on Sunday announced an expansion of military operations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where violence has soared throughout the Gaza war. 

Speaking at a joint press conference with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, Sharif said there is “complete unanimity” among Pakistan and Azerbaijan on the need for a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East crisis. 

“And I think today is the time that this pause in Gaza will now be converted into a permanent ceasefire,” Sharif told reporters. “And then I think the dream of a two-state [solution] of this area, the Palestine state, will be materialized in times to come sooner rather than later.”

Israel killed around 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza via relentless aerial bombardment and ground military offensives since Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people and Hamas taking 251 Israeli hostages. 

Since the ceasefire took hold on Jan. 19, Hamas has released 25 living Israeli hostages in staged ceremonies, often flanked by masked gunmen and forced to speak.

After six were freed on Saturday, Israel put off the planned release of more than 600 Palestinians, citing what Netanyahu called “humiliating ceremonies” in Gaza.

Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”

Since the beginning of Israel’s war in 2023, the South Asian country has dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza, besides establishing the ‘Prime Minister’s Relief Fund’ that aims to collect public donations for the war-affected people.


Cricket-mad Pakistan’s betting scene set for ICC Champions Trophy boom

Updated 33 min 1 sec ago
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Cricket-mad Pakistan’s betting scene set for ICC Champions Trophy boom

  • One medium-sized bookie said he could expect to make up to $10,000 during major tournament like Champions Trophy
  • One seasoned bettor said he had once won staggering $89,538 from a single match but lost $32,233 in next game

ISLAMABAD: While eight cricket teams are fighting for the ICC Champions Trophy which started last week, bookies and police will be playing a game of cat and mouse as fans in cricket-crazy Pakistan are expected to wager huge amounts during the international tournament.

Cricket betting exists as a complex, underground market in Pakistan, thriving through unregulated bookies, online platforms and informal betting networks. Authorities say they frequently crack down on betting rings but enforcement remains a challenge due to the widespread use of mobile apps and international betting websites.

Arab News spoke to two bookies and two regular sports bettors to gain insights into Pakistan’s underground betting market, its stakes and how it operates, its evolution in the digital age and the impact of major cricket events on betting activity in the country. 

One bookie, who wanted to be referred to by the initials AB due to fear of legal action, said sports betting had always been popular in Pakistan but had become more accessible in recent years with the rise of online applications. 

While he said he usually made the equivalent of about $1,700 — $3,500 during a regular international cricket match, he could expect to make up to $10,000 during a major tournament like the ICC Champions Trophy. 

“Millions of dollars throughout the world and billions of rupees in Pakistan are expected to change hands [during the Champions Trophy],” AB told Arab News in a telephone interview. 

When asked about the maximum amount people were willing to bet on a game between Pakistan and India, one of the world’s most intense sports rivalries, he said: 

“The more money a person has, the more he bets. We are talking billions of rupees here.”

One bettor Arab News spoke to, who wanted to be referred to by the assumed name Bilal, said the largest bet he had placed in one go was around $5,400, while the most amount of money he had won from a single cricket match was a staggering $89,538.

“But then I lost around $32,233 in the next match,” Bilal said, adding that he had learnt his lesson and did not place big bets anymore. The highest he would go during the Champions Trophy was around $350 a match. 

OLD VS NEW SYSTEM

Explaining the evolution of Pakistan’s betting scene, AB said the betting process had been entirely manual until about a decade ago. 

“Bookies were connected to international betting networks and offered players the rates from those platforms while charging a commission,” he explained. 

Under the old system, new players could only place bets if an existing player vouched for them, making the guarantor responsible for covering the new player’s losses if they failed to pay. This also protected against the risk of infiltration by undercover cops. 

This is how the system worked: Players would call the bookie directly to ask for betting rates and then place a bet, and the call was recorded as proof of the transaction.

That system gave bookmakers a greater margin, as the odds could fluctuate between the time a player inquired about a bet and when they actually placed it.

Today, bookies use betting apps, which eliminate the need for guarantors. Any player can contact a bookie directly, deposit a certain amount and receive a login ID with funds added to their account.

“Players can now access the app directly to place bets and withdraw their winnings after a match or tournament,” AB said. “We still allow our long-term players to bet now and pay later.”

A seasoned bettor from Karachi, who requested to be identified as Tariq, told Arab News he had been betting for the past 15 years, not just on cricket but also on football, horse racing and other sports.

“The manual process used to favor the bookies because players couldn’t see the real-time fluctuations in betting rates,” he said. “This allowed bookies to manipulate the odds and increase their profits.” 

Web-based betting had made the operation, including payouts, smoother however, Tariq added. 

“Before every cricket match, one team is the favorite while the other is the underdog depending on their previous performance,” AB, the bookie, added. “Betting on the favorite team yields lower earnings compared to betting on the underdog.”

He explained that if the odds for a match were 2:3, a $1 bet on the favorite team would yield $0.67 in profit while betting a dollar on the underdog would yield $1.50.

AB said the most common bets during cricket matches revolved around predicting the outcome of the match or series, while “fancy bets” involved wagering on the number of runs a team will score within a certain number of overs.

Bets could be placed on anything, he added, from which team would win the toss to which bowler would take the most number of wickets.

“For instance, at the start of a match, the first available fancy bet is usually for the first five or ten overs,” AB explained. “A player can bet on whether the batting team will score more or less than a certain number of runs, for example 40, within a specified number of overs, with this type of betting continuing throughout the match.”

PAYING UP

Often, the gambling dens operate under the very nose of the police, bookkeepers said. 

KC, another bookie who also refused to be identified by his full name and operates a den from a modest two-bedroom apartment in Karachi, told Arab News the police became active in striking deals with, and demanding heavier bribes from, bookkeepers before major cricket tournaments like the ICC Champions Trophy. 

“Corruption runs deep,” he said. “Some policemen even place their own bets.”

The first bookie, AB, said police were helpful both in looking the other way and allowing dens to operate, while raiding the set-ups of competitors or new bookies in the market. 

“Small bookies like me pay thousands of rupees weekly as protection money on a regular basis. But the policeman I’m in touch with has told me they won’t come to save me if there is a raid, the most they will do is alert me about the raid beforehand,” he said. 

AB said there was a fixed bribe rate on a weekly basis, but a percentage system was used for big matches, with the police getting a cut of earnings from big matches. 

“In a month from small bookies, police would be able to make around $5,500,” he added. “Rates don’t increase before tournaments but only for big matches.”

Tariq, the bettor, recalled a time he lost over a million rupees on credit and couldn’t pay on time.

“I received threats from bookies and even policemen called me asking me to visit them,” he said. 

The same works for bookies too sometimes: 

“If a bookie fails to pay, the police detain them until they clear their dues,” Tariq added. 

Speaking to Arab News on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, a senior Karachi police official said gambling had largely shifted online, bringing it under the jurisdiction of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). However, he admitted that some physical gambling may still be taking place though its nature had changed. 

“It is rarely played with gamblers physically present in one location. This is why it now falls under the FIA’s jurisdiction,” the official said. 

A spokesperson for Sindh police said the issue did not fall under the domain of police. 

FIA spokesperson Abdul Ghafoor could not be reached for comment despite several attempts while FIA Deputy Director Media Mehmood Ali Khokhar sought questions via text message but did not respond.