ISLAMABAD: Officials from the Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket boards will meet on the sidelines of an ICC meeting in the United Arab Emirates this week after Bangladesh got permission from its government to only play a short Twenty20 series in Pakistan and not the two test matches.
Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan said Sunday that his government has given a go ahead for a short tour to Pakistan comprising three Twenty20s. Pakistan was originally scheduled to host Bangladesh for three Twenty20s and two test matches in January-February.
The PCB had proposed to Bangladesh that it could defer the T20 series, but Bangladesh must play two test matches in Pakistan in Karachi and Rawalpindi, which are part of ICC’s World Test Championship.
“Directives from the government is to go for a short tour to Pakistan at this moment,” Hassan had said after a board meeting on Sunday. “We are always with Pakistan’s initiative to revive international cricket there but at this moment it’s not possible to stay there for a long period. I think they should consider our situation.”
PCB chairman Ehsan Mani said last month that Pakistan will no longer host its bilateral test series at a neutral venue after it successfully hosted two test matches against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi and Karachi.
The PCB said Monday that Mani and Hassan will meet in Dubai, after which further updates will be provided.
“The Dubai meeting is a continuation of the discussion process, which the PCB has followed to reach a consensus with the BCB on its national men’s cricket team’s tour itinerary,” PCB said in a statement.
Bangladesh’s junior and women’s cricket teams toured Pakistan last year, but its national men’s team has not played an international match in Pakistan since the 2007-08 season.
Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket bosses set to meet in Dubai
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Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket bosses set to meet in Dubai
- Bangladesh will play three Twenty20 internationals in Pakistan later this month
- Pakistan wants Bangladesh to play two test matches in Pakistan
Pakistan opposition rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand release of Imran Khan
- PTI-led gathering calls the former PM a national hero and demands the release of all political prisoners
- Government says the opposition failed to draw a large crowd and accuses PTI of damaging its own politics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, describing him as a national hero who continues to command public support.
The gathering came days after a rare and strongly worded briefing by the military’s media chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who dismissed Khan as “narcissistic” and “mentally ill” on Friday while responding to the former premier’s allegations that Pakistan’s chief of defense forces was responsible for undermining the constitution and rule of law.
He said that Khan was promoting an anti-state narrative which had become a national security threat.
The participants of the rally called for “civilian supremacy” and said elected representatives should be treated with respect.
“We, the people of Pakistan, regard Imran Khan as a national hero and the country’s genuinely elected prime minister, chosen by the public in the February 8, 2024 vote,” said a resolution presented at the rally in Peshawar. “We categorically reject and strongly condemn the notion that he or his colleagues pose any kind of threat to national security.”
“We demand immediate justice for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all political prisoners, and call for their prompt release,” it added, referring to Khan’s wife who is also in prison. “No restrictions should be placed on Imran Khan’s meetings with his family, lawyers or political associates.”
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied his administration was not serious about security issues amid increased militant activity. However, he maintained the people of his province had endured the worst of Pakistan’s conflict with militancy and urged a rethinking of long-running security policies.
The resolution asked the federal government to restore bilateral trade and diplomatic channels with Afghanistan, saying improved cross-border ties were essential for the economic stability of the region.
The trade between the two neighbors has suffered as Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering and facilitating armed groups that it says launch cross-border attacks to target its civilians and security forces. Afghan officials deny the claim.
The two countries have also had deadly border clashes in recent months that have killed dozens of people on both sides.
Some participants of the rally emphasized the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence and space for political reconciliation, calling them necessary to stabilize the country after years of political confrontation.
Reacting to the opposition rally, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said the PTI and its allies could not gather enough people.
“In trying to build an anti-army narrative, they have ruined their own politics,” he said, adding that the rally’s reaction to the military’s media chief’s statement reflected “how deeply it had stung.”
“There was neither any argument nor any real response,” he added, referring to what was said by the participants of the rally.
