ISLAMABAD: Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has filed an appeal against the duration of his three-year ban for failing to report corrupt approaches before this year’s Pakistan Super League.
A panel of independent adjudicators will be formed to hear Akmal’s appeal.
The 29-year-old Akmal was banned earlier this month until Feb. 19, 2023 after the Pakistan Cricket Board’s disciplinary committee found him guilty of two charges of violating the anti-corruption code.
He had been provisionally suspended on Feb. 20, just hours before he was set to represent Quetta Gladiators in the PSL’s opening game at Karachi.
The chairman of the disciplinary committee, retired Justice Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, said in his ruling that it appeared Akmal showed no remorse and had “tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him.”
Pakistan cricketer Akmal files appeal against length of ban
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Pakistan cricketer Akmal files appeal against length of ban
- A panel of independent adjudicators will be formed to hear Akmal’s appeal
- 29-year-old Akmal was banned earlier this month until Feb. 19
Pakistan forms committee to negotiate financial advisory services for Islamabad airport privatization
- Committee to engage Asian Development Bank to negotiate terms of financial advisory services agreement, says privatization ministry
- Inaugurated in 2018, Islamabad airport has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities and operational inefficiencies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Privatization Ministry announced on Wednesday that it has formed a committee to engage the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to negotiate a potential financial advisory services agreement for the privatization of Islamabad International Airport.
The Islamabad International Airport, inaugurated in 2018 at a cost of over $1 billion, has faced criticism over construction delays, poor facilities, and operational inefficiencies.
The Negotiation Committee formed by the Privatization Commission will engage with the ADB to negotiate the terms of a potential Financial Advisory Services Agreement (FASA) for the airport’s privatization, the ministry said.
“The Negotiation Committee has been mandated to undertake negotiations and submit its recommendations to the Board for consideration and approval, in line with the applicable regulatory framework,” the Privatization Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Islamabad airport operations will be outsourced under a concession model through an open and competitive process to enhance its operational efficiency and improve service delivery standards.
Pakistan has recently sought to privatize or outsource management of several state-run enterprises under conditions agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a $7 billion bailout approved in September last year.
Islamabad hopes outsourcing airport operations will bring operational expertise, enhance passenger experience and restore confidence in the aviation sector.
In December 2025, Pakistan’s government successfully privatized its national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), selling 75 percent of its stakes to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group.
The group secured a 75 percent stake in the PIA for Rs135 billion ($482 million) after several rounds of bidding, valuing the airline at Rs180 billion ($643 million).
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said this week the government has handed over 26 state-owned enterprises to the Privatization Commission.
