LAHORE: Some supporters of Pakistan’s largest opposition party threw punches on Friday in clashes with police as a top leader, Maryam Nawaz, was remanded to custody on corruption charges filed by a national anti-graft agency.
Maryam, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and a scion of the family that dominated politics for three decades, was arrested over fraud accusations at a sugar mill her family runs, one of several cases it says are politically motivated.
“I knew that it would be a tough situation for me to launch a political struggle but I will not budge,” Maryam told reporters shortly before she appeared in court in the city of Lahore, to be denied bail and remanded until August 21.
“The NAB has made a baseless case against me,” she added, referring to Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau.
The anti-graft agency has arrested, or wants to arrest, about a dozen members of the Sharif family, which runs the largest opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
Some of the hundreds of party supporters gathered outside the court engaged in fistfights with police, according to eyewitnesses and video images. Police declined to comment on the extent of the clashes.
Maryam is one of the few opposition figures to openly criticize Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan’s powerful military, accusing them in recent weeks of censoring rallies and news conferences held by her party.
Maryam, who led big anti-government rallies across the country, disappeared from Pakistani media last month after she made public a secretly recorded video.
The video purported to show her father’s graft conviction had been the result of blackmail. Reuters was not independently able to confirm the authenticity of the video.
Khan and the military deny any media ban on the party or that the cases against the family are politically motivated.
Pakistan court remands opposition leader to custody on graft charges
Pakistan court remands opposition leader to custody on graft charges
- PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz says National Accountability Bureau has made a baseless case against her
- Her party supporters gathered outside the court engaged in fistfights with police
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
