LONDON: Pakistan squash great Jahangir Khan has urged Pakistan to show grit at the World Cup, saying they have the talent to reach the semifinals despite a string of bad results.
Jahangir, one of the finest squash players of all time, was in the stands at Lord’s on Sunday to watch his side take on South Africa.
“Pakistan still have a chance of qualifying for the semifinals but for that I want them to be fighting throughout the match,” he said.
The 1992 champions, who came into the South Africa match with just one victory in five games, must realistically win all their remaining four ties and hope other results go their way.
Jahangir, who won 10 British Open titles and six world titles, was known for his never-say-die approach and stamina, traits that he wants to see in the Pakistan team, who scored 308-7 in their 50 overs on Sunday.
“What I have seen in the previous games was that the team lacked aggression, especially against India,” said Jahangir, referring to last week’s defeat against Pakistan’s arch-rivals.
Pakistan went down by 89 runs in the rain-affected game, which sparked a furious reaction back home, but Jahangir said Pakistan could recover.
“This team has talent so I am confident that it will bounce back as the whole nation wants them in the semifinal and then in the final,” he said.
Pakistan’s powerful military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was in the stands at Lord’s, along with military colleagues.
Sulaiman Khan, the son of World Cup-winning Pakistan captain and current Prime Minister Imran Khan, was also at Lord’s.
Squash great Jahangir Khan urges Pakistan to show World Cup fight
Squash great Jahangir Khan urges Pakistan to show World Cup fight
- Khan was in the stands at Lord’s on Sunday to watch his side take on South Africa
- 'What I have seen in the previous games was that the team lacked aggression, especially against India’
UAE president to visit Pakistan on Dec. 26 to strengthen trade, investment cooperation
- Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will visit Pakistan with high-level delegation of ministers, officials, says FO
- UAE president to meet PM Shehbaz Sharif to review bilateral ties, discuss matters of regional and global interest
ISLAMABAD: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will visit Pakistan on Dec. 26 to review ties between the two nations, exchange views on regional matters and strengthen collaboration with Islamabad in trade, investment, energy and development sectors, the Pakistani foreign office said on Wednesday.
Al Nayhan, who will undertake his first official visit to Pakistan as the UAE’s president later this week, will arrive with a high-level delegation comprising ministers and senior officials, the foreign office said in a statement.
“The visit of High Highness reflects the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries and shared commitment of both sides to further enhancing collaboration in key areas, including trade, investment, energy, development and regional stability,” the statement said.
The UAE president will review the entire spectrum of bilateral ties in a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.
“The visit will provide an important opportunity to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates,” the foreign office noted.
The announcement from the foreign office takes place a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met UAE Ambassador Salem Mohammed Salem Al Bawab Al Zaabi in Islamabad. The prime minister urged both countries to enhance cooperation in trade and investment.
Pakistan considers the UAE among its closest economic and regional allies, since the Gulf nation is Islamabad’s third-largest trading partner after China and the US.
Policymakers in Pakistan consider the UAE an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
Both nations have signed agreements worth billions of dollars recently as Pakistan eyes greater trade and economic ties with Gulf states.
In January 2024, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth more than $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure sectors.
The UAE is also a major source of foreign investment in Pakistan, which has been valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE’s foreign ministry.
