ISLAMABAD: Condoling the death of former PM Nawaz Sharif’s wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday assured the family that they would be extended full legal support within the ambit of the law and constitution.
“We have conveyed to the Pakistan High Commission in London to fully cooperate with the [Sharif] family to bring the body back,” Iftikhar Durrani, PM’s media adviser, told Arab News.
“If they [Nawaz and daughter Maryam] apply [for parole] to participate in the rituals, we have no objection to it. Whatever legal facilitation is available, we have conveyed it to them [the family],” Durrani said.
Advocate Sharafat Ali, an assistant to the Sharif family’s legal team, said that it is prerogative for the jail authorities to release Nawaz and Maryam and that they “will apply soon for their release”. “An application will be submitted to the jail authorities seeking the release of Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz…we are sure they will attend the funeral,” Ali told Arab News.
Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, passed away at the age of 68 in London on Tuesday after succumbing to a long battle with cancer.
The three-time former first lady was undergoing treatment at London’s Harley Street Clinic, since August last year, after she was diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma.
She underwent multiple surgeries and at least five chemotherapy sessions during the time, and was finally placed on life-support from July this year.
Confirming the news, Nawaz’s brother, Shehbaz Sharif, had tweeted earlier in the day: “My sister-in-law and wife of Mian Nawaz Sharif, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, has passed away. May the departed soul rest in peace.”
With the family deciding to bury Kulsoom in Lahore, Senator Mushahidullah Khan, the Information Secretary for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said that PML-N president Shehbaz was “leaving for London on the first available flight to bring the body back”.
Jailed ex-premier Nawaz and daughter Maryam Nawaz are currently lodged in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after being handed jail sentences for 10 and seven years, in corruption cases.
Condolence messages started pouring in shortly after news of Kulsoom’s demise was reported by the media, with leaders of political parties and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa sharing in the sentiment.
“COAS expresses his grief and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family on the sad demise of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz. May Allah bless the departed soul eternal peace at Heaven-Amen,” Director General Inter-Services Public Relations said in a message.
Kulsoom served as first lady of Pakistan for three terms from 1990-1993, 1997-1999 and 2013-2017. Born in 1950, in Lahore, to a Kashmiri family, Kulsoom married Nawaz in 1970 after completing her Master’s degree in Urdu from the Punjab University, Lahore.
She also served as the president of the PML-N from 1999 to 2002, after her husband’s government was overthrown by former president Pervez Musharraf, in a bloodless coup, in October 1999. Nearly all the Sharif men were jailed at the time.
“She was a courageous lady, and will be remembered for her struggle for democracy and for her love for the people of Pakistan,” Senator Khan told Arab News.
Kulsoom Nawaz to be buried in Pakistan
Kulsoom Nawaz to be buried in Pakistan
- Government says it has no objection to Nawaz Sharif and daughter being part of funeral
- Kulsoom Nawaz to be buried in Pakistan
Pakistan name six uncapped players in ODI squad for Bangladesh series
- Series in Dhaka from Mar. 11-15 marks Pakistan’s second visit as ties between the two countries improve
- PCB says fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to lead Pakistan’s ODI side in three-match series
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Wednesday it picked six uncapped players in its 15-member One Day International (ODI) squad for a three-match series scheduled from Mar. 11-15 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in what will be Pakistan’s second visit since relations between the two countries began to improve in 2024.
The two sides have been strengthening cricketing ties. Earlier this year, Pakistan briefly threatened to boycott its Twenty20 World Cup match against India in Colombo, citing what it called unfair treatment of Bangladesh after the International Cricket Council (ICC) moved Dhaka off the tournament schedule after the team refused to play in India over security concerns.
Pakistan later reversed its decision following negotiations, with officials saying Bangladesh’s concerns had been addressed by the ICC.
“Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi will continue to lead the ODI side, with six uncapped players included in the squad,” the PCB said in a statement.
“The uncapped players are Abdul Samad, Maaz Sadaqat, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan and Shamyl Hussain.”
The Pakistan team will reach Dhaka on Mar. 8 and play a practice match on Mar. 10 before the series begins.
The first ODI will be played on Mar. 11, followed by the second on Mar. 13, with the third and final match scheduled for Mar. 15.
All three matches will take place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
The series comes amid a broader thaw in diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations, which were part of the same country until Bangladesh’s secession following a bloody civil war in 1971, an event that long cast a shadow over relations.
Relations have warmed since August 2024, after the ouster of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was widely viewed as close to India.
Cricket has often reflected political currents in South Asia.
15-MEMBER SQUAD
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jr., Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha and Shamyl Hussain
