Pakistan News

With the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets hitting the halfway mark of the NHL pre-season, time is running short for players to make an impression. The Senators improved to 3-1-0 following their 3-1 win over the Jets Friday night, and there was enough for coach D.J. Smith to like. Claude Giroux ’ second period goal held up as the winner and Vladimir Tarasenko had an empty-net goal, but both of them were already counted on to score goals. Seeing Roby Järventie pick up his second of the pre-season and watching goaltender Kevin Mandolese stop all 19 shots he faced, and Leevi Merilainen giving up one goal on 16 shots, was more likely to catch Smith’s attention. “I thought Roby was good,” said Smith. “Continues to score, makes plays and he’s checking away from the puck and you don’t see him on the ice for a ton against, at this point.” He also commented on how good both goalies played. What Smith didn’t like was how many chances the Jets had in the third period when Ottawa held a on...

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has spoken at length about his time as premier during the Faizabad protests of 2017 and how he navigated the government through what he said was the “darkest chapter” in the country’s history. Daily life in Islamabad was disrupted for 20 days (from Oct 2 to Nov 27, 2017) when protesters belonging to religiopolitical parties — including the TLP, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA), the Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, and the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek — occupied the Faizabad Interchange which connects Rawalpindi and Islamabad through the Islamabad Expressway and Murree Road, both of which are the busiest roads in the twin cities. The agitators claimed that during the passage of the Elections Act 2017, the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath was deliberately modified as part of a larger conspiracy. The amendment to the oath was deemed a ‘clerical error’ by the government and was subsequently rectified through an act of Parliament. The government had attemp...

The Pakistani rupee appreciated throughout the outgoing week, seeing an improvement of 1.4 per cent against the USD in the interbank market, and is on track to be the best-performing currency this month. By closing time on Thursday, the dollar stood at Rs287.74, a decrease of 4.02 or 1.4 per cent from last week, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. The previous week it had closed at Rs291.76. The rupee saw consistent gains against the dollar from Monday. The rupee had hit a record low of 307.1 against the dollar on Sept 5 but has made a sharp recovery since the country’s financial regulator and security agencies began taking action the next day to curb black market operations. The crackdown on black market operators against the informal market resulted in tens of millions of dollars pouring back into Pakistan’s interbank and open markets, dealers said. The local currency has seen gains of around 6.1 per cent so far . “The government’s stern administrative action against the...

A regional security meeting on Afg­han­istan, hosted by Russia with participation from other regional countries including China and India, has called upon the interim Afghan government to take effective measures to “dismantle” all sorts of terrorist groups based in the country and to ensure that their territory no longer serves as “terrorism hotspot”. The call for enhanced security measures arose during the fifth Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, which gathered high-ranking officials from Pakistan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Representatives of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Turkiye also attended the audience as guests of honour. The meeting took place in the city of Kazan, Russia on Friday. Islamabad has repeatedly raised concerns over the use of Afghan soil by militants for cross-border terror­­ism. In a recent statement , Pakistan Army had blamed Kabul for the uptick in militancy, saying that “safe...

North and South Korea clash on the football pitch and India do battle with Pakistan in hockey as fierce rivalries take centre stage at the Asian Games on Saturday. The men’s and women’s 100m sprint titles will also be contested on the athletics track in Hangzhou, where the rain fell steadily in the early afternoon. With the Games approaching their halfway point, hosts China have raked in 107 gold medals, far ahead of the rest, with Zhang Zhizhen doing his part on Saturday by winning the men’s tennis crown. The 60th-ranked Zhang made a slow start and fell 4-1 behind in the first set of the final against Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki. But with the home crowd roaring him on, the 26-year-old from Shanghai battled back to win 6-4, 7-6 (9/7) and become the first Chinese men’s singles tennis champion at the Games since 1994. “It’s been a very, very tough week, not just this match, but very tough for the whole week actually, from the first match onwards,” said Zhang. “But I’m super-happy th...

Praising the “fantastic reception” received by the Pakistan team in India for the World Cup, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Interim Management Committee head Zaka Ashraf has expressed hope that the national team would continue to receive the same warmth throughout the tournament, it emerged today. Zaka’s comments follow his recent viral video in which he emphasised the importance of maintaining high morale among players regardless of the country they visit, even if it’s “an enemy country where the tournament is being held”. Although he didn’t explicitly mention India, it was widely interpreted as a reference to the neighbouring country. In the video, Ashraf was heard saying, “We have granted these contracts to our players with great care and affection. In Pakistan’s history, no one has ever allocated such a substantial amount to our players as I have. My aim was to ensure that our players maintain high spirits when they travel to compete, whether it’s in an enemy country or anyw...

from Sportsnet.ca https://ift.tt/KbesSCN

Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have concluded the final round of negotiations and inked a preliminary deal on a free trade agreement (FTA) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, it emerged on Friday. Pakistan and the GCC finalised the FTA on Thursday after the final round of talks was held from September 26-28, 2023 at the GCC headquarters in Riyadh, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Commerce today. Interim Commerce Minister Gohar Ejaz and GCC Secretary General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi signed the joint statement. “Both parties looked forward to the expeditious signing, ratification, and implementation of the agreement, which will mark a new chapter in the economic relations between our parties,” the statement reads. It will be followed by an internal administrative and approval process before the signing and entry into force of the agreement. The GCC secretary general said the preliminary deal was a “recognition of the importance of strengthening ...

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy — Europe gave the Americans a rude welcome and a harsh reminder why it has been 30 years since they last won the Ryder Cup away from home, sweeping the opening session for the first time before a delirious crowd at Marco Simone. So thorough was this beating Friday morning that no match reached the 18th hole. Jon Rahm holed a 30-foot putt from off the second green and hit a tee shot that banged off the bottom of the pin at the par-3 seventh. Viktor Hovland got his side going early, chipping off the tight grass of the fringe, over a ridge and into the cup on the opening hole. Rory McIlroy delivered the final dagger, a tee shot to 2 feet on the par-3 17th hole as he and Tommy Fleetwood — “Fleetwood Mac” for this Ryder Cup — handed Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele their first loss in foursomes. European captain Luke Donald looked like a genius by leading off with foursomes, the more difficult format of alternate shot. Europe has started the Ryder Cup at ...

It certainly is disappointing for CFL fans that Toronto Argonauts star quarterback Chad Kelly will not start on Friday in a much-anticipated Grey Cup rematch against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. However, any criticism of the Argos and coach Ryan Dinwiddie, it says here, is misguided. Thanks to their own outstanding play and lack of same from their East Division foes, the Argos (12-1) clinched the division title and a bye to a home-field East final with six games left in the regular season. The challenge for Dinwiddie is to keep his team as healthy as possible while trying to keep their competitive edge during what will be a nearly two-month stretch between meaningful games — the Argos clinched the division on Sept. 15 and host the East final on Nov. 11. If Dinwiddie feels limiting Kelly’s snaps against a fierce Winnipeg defensive front fits into that plan, who are we to argue with him? Full disclosure — I had major doubts about Dinwiddie as a head coach during his rookie ...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged India to cooperate with a Canadian investigation into the murder of a Sikh separatist during a meeting with Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday, a US official said. Speaking in Quebec earlier on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has alleged an Indian role in the killing, said he was certain that Blinken would broach the issue with Jaishankar. India has dismissed Canada’s allegations as absurd, and ties have become strained with both governments expelling a diplomat in a tit-for-tat move. “Blinken raised the Canadian matter in his meeting, (and) urged the Indian government to cooperate with Canada’s investigation,” the US official said, though a State Department statement made no mention of the issue. Trudeau told parliament earlier this month that Canada suspected Indian government agents were linked to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the province of British Columbia in June. Nijjar ...

At least two people were killed while five sustained injuries during an explosion inside a mosque located in the Doaba police station in Khyber Pakthunkhwa’s Hangu on Friday, according to police. Hangu District Police Officer Nisar Ahmed confirmed the casualties and injuries to Dawn.com . He said the explosion took place during the Friday sermon. “The roof of the mosque caved in due to the impact of the explosion,” the official stated, adding that nearly 30 to 40 people were reported to be stuck under the rubble. The official further said that heavy machinery had been called to retrieve the bodies and wounded persons. Dawn.com’s correspondent present at the site said Rescue 1122 teams and locals in the area are leading the rescue operation. The KP government has imposed an emergency in hospitals across Hangu and Kohat, DPO Ahmed confirmed. Meanwhile, in a statement, KP caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan summoned a report on the incident from the police and instructed authorities...

Excessive moisture on the field at the Cricket World Cup will make the top-flight ODI competition all the more interesting, India coach Rahul Dravid said. The 50-over tournament kicks off next Thursday across 10 cities, and all but six of the 48 matches will be day-night contests. In India that usually means high moisture on the field after sunset, which makes the ball moist and difficult to grip. “India is a big country and there are many venues so it’s hard to say it (dew) is going to be the same everywhere,” Dravid said after India’s 66-run loss to Australia in their third and final ODI in Rajkot on Wednesday. “Each venue and each day will be different. It’s one of the hardest things to predict with dew,” he said. Dew mainly affects bowlers and fielders as day-night matches progress, with most captains opting to bowl first after winning the toss as a result. But whether it will be a factor at all is in itself unpredictable. Dravid, a former India captain, said he had play...

Global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), along with Pakistan press clubs, other journalists’ bodies and the Freedom Network called upon Pakistani political parties to commit to defending freedom of expression and protection of journalists in their manifestos for the upcoming general elections. A statement issued by RSF on Thursday stated that since the situation of journalists in Pakistan had worsened in the runup to the general elections, the media heads of the country along with the international publication, launched a “crucial appeal” to the Pakistani political parties to commit to concrete measures in favour of press freedom. “Impunity for crimes against journalists and media is very high in Pakistan, which was among the five countries included in a pilot project of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity,” the statement said. According to Freedom Network’s Annual Impunity 2022 Report, there were no convictions in 96 per ...

Till the world comes up with a perfect definition for gig work, experts at the Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), between September 26-28 in Manila, Philippines, were of the opinion that it would do well to take care of gig workers. Not only it is the smart thing to do; they were sure it was the right thing to do. From delivering food (think Foodpanda), to driving you around (like Careem), to working remotely from your home in Karachi and providing a service in another part of the world, gig workers, referred to variously as “platform workers” or “digital gig workers” are different from traditional informal workers due to their reliance on digital platforms. The rise of gig work makes it important that workers be given social protection since they may not have access to traditional forms of social protection like pensions, health insurance or unemployment benefits as was seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of the nature of the ...

An overnight explosion at a warehouse near the airport in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, killed one person and injured more than a hundred, authorities in the Central Asian country said on Thursday. “A teenager born in 2006 died,” the Uzbek health ministry said on Telegram, adding that a further 162 had been injured. The emergency situations ministry said powerful lightning had caused “an explosion, then a fire, which is still burning” in a warehouse in the airport zone. Of those hurt in the accident, 138 sustained minor injuries and a further 24 were still in hospital in a more serious condition, the health ministry said. Videos circulating on social media showed a column of flames and smoke rising into the night sky. The blast blew out the windows of several houses in the surrounding area and damaged their interiors. Explosions continued to ring out in the hours after the blaze broke out as emergency crews tackled the fire and ambulance staff worked to evacuate those inju...

The Supreme Court is hearing a set of review petitions challenging the court’s verdict on the 2017 sit-in by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) at Faizabad in Islamabad. A three-member bench — including Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah — have taken up the pleas today. Authored by Justice Qazi Faez Isa years before he took oath as the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), the searing judgement had instructed the defence ministry and the tri-services chiefs to penalise personnel under their command who were found to have violated their oath. It had also directed the federal government to monitor those advocating hate, extremism and terrorism and prosecute them in accordance with the law. Adverse observations were also made against several government departments for causing inconvenience to the public as the 20-day sit-in paralysed life in both Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Pleas were subsequently moved against the verdict by ...

The rupee continued its gains on Thursday, rising by Rs1.12 against the greenback in the interbank market during morning trade. The dollar was changing hands for Rs287.63 at around 9:43am, according to the Forex Association of Pakistan. The previous day, it closed at Rs288.75 , according to the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) daily update. In the open market, the USD saw a Rs1.5 reduction against the rupee, and was going for Rs288.5, according to the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP). Yesterday, the dollar was trading for Rs290. The rupee has been appreciating for several weeks now, largely due to the military-backed crackdown on the illegal outflows of the dollar. Whether the trend will sustain is debatable. Analyst Khurram Husain has highlighted in an op-ed that during the PDM government’s ‘crackdown’ of the exchange market amid dwindling dollar reserves, the rupee saw some gains, which were ultimately short term. “That brief spell of stability ended with a b...

Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka was cleared of sexual assault in Sydney on Thursday, saying outside the court that he “can’t wait” to play again. The 32-year-old batsman was arrested in November last year just hours after his country lost to England in their final Twenty20 World Cup match in Australia. He was initially accused of four counts of sexual intercourse without consent after arranging to meet a woman at a bar near the Sydney Opera House through a dating app. Three of those charges were dropped in May. On the remaining count, Judge Sarah Huggett found him not guilty, according to a document provided by the New South Wales District Court in Sydney. “The last 11 months have been really hard for me,” Gunathilaka told reporters outside the court. “Everyone believed me, so that means a lot to me,” he said. “I am happy that my life is normal again so I can’t wait to go back and play cricket,” he added. Prosecutors had argued he removed a condom during sex with...

In the intricate web of Pakistan’s legal landscape, few cases have left as profound an impact on the nation’s judicial and political narrative as the Faizabad Dharna case. As the review petition is finally taken up by the Supreme Court, it is essential to revisit the unprecedented nature of this case and explore the potential consequences and pathways it may lead to. The Faizabad Dharna case emerged from the prolonged and contentious sit-in staged at Islamabad’s Faizabad interchange in 2017. The protest itself started out as a political stand-off, but soon evolved into a litmus test for the resilience of democratic institutions, the sanctity of the Constitution, and the boundaries of freedom of expression. In the wake of the stand-off, the SC initiated a case under its suo motu jurisdiction, which allows the court to take cognisance of matters on its own volition, usually in cases of public importance or violation of fundamental rights. In such cases, however, the review jurisdict...