KARACHI: Pakistan's cricket board Friday rejected pleas by two former national players for help in overturning lifetime bans for charges related to match-fixing.
Former spinner Danish Kaneria was banned by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2012, while ex-skipper Saleem Malik was struck off in 2000 by the Pakistan board on the recommendation of a judicial commission.
Kaneria, charged for inducing his Essex county team-mate Mervyn Westfield to concede runs in a 2009 match, was left unable to play or coach in any country under International Cricket Council (ICC) rules and lost a subsequent appeal.
"The life ban was imposed by the ECB and upheld by all ICC members, you have lost an appeal so as such, you are advised to approach the ECB as per the rules," the PCB said in a statement following his request.
Pakistan's most successful spinner with 261 wickets in 61 Tests, Kaneria has previously accused the country's cricket authority of targeting him for being a minority Hindu -- a charge vehemently denied by the PCB.
Malik also sought the PCB's help to start a coaching career.
But the board ruled that Malik has refused to respond to separate ICC claims that he was recorded telling an undercover reporter how to fix matches.
It said it "will be unable to proceed any further until such time you respond on the said matter."
Malik's ban was lifted by a Pakistan civil court in 2008, but the move was not endorsed by the ICC.
Malik, 57, played 103 Tests and 283 one-day internationals for Pakistan.
Pakistan rejects Kaneria and Malik's pleas to help lift bans
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Pakistan rejects Kaneria and Malik's pleas to help lift bans
- Both players faced match-fixing charges and were banned for life
- With 261 wickets in 61 Tests, Kaneria counted among Pakistan's most successful spinners
Pakistan says military operation concluded in Balochistan, 216 militants killed
- Separatist BLA militant group claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks across Balochistan last week
- Military says 36 civilians, 22 law enforcement and security forces personnel have been killed in attacks
PESHAWAR: Pakistani forces have concluded a security operation in the southwestern Balochistan province and killed 216 militants after a series of coordinated attacks by separatist militants last week, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.
Separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Balochistan last Friday and Saturday in multiple districts across the province, one of the deadliest flare-ups in the area in recent years.
Pakistan military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said security forces launched operations in Panjgur and Harnai district’s outskirts on Jan. 29 based on intelligence confirming the presence of “terrorist elements,” killing 41 militants.
It said the military launched a broader series of intelligence-based operations in multiple areas of the province after that to dismantle “terrorist sleeper cells,” referring to it as “Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1.”
“As a result of these well-coordinated engagements and subsequent clearance operations, 216 terrorists have been sent to hell, significantly degrading the leadership, command-and-control structures and operational capabilities of terrorist networks,” the ISPR said in a statement.
The military said 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed by militants while 22 security forces and law enforcement personnel also lost their lives.
The ISPR said a substantial cache of foreign-origin weapons, ammunition, explosives and equipment were also recovered during the counteroffensive operations.
“Preliminary analysis indicates systematic external facilitation and logistical support to these extremist proxies,” the statement said.
The military said Pakistan’s armed forces remain steadfast in their resolve to combat “terrorism,” vowing that counterterror operations will continue until militants are completely eliminated.
“Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1 stands as a testament to Pakistan’s and particularly Balochistan’s proud peoples’ unwavering commitment to always prefer peace over violence, unity over division and development over violence,” the ISPR said.
Pakistan’s government has accused India of being behind the militant attacks in Balochistan, charges that New Delhi has rejected as “baseless.”
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area, has long faced a separatist insurgency that has intensified in recent years. Militants frequently target security forces, government officials, infrastructure projects, foreigners and non-local workers.
The province holds vast reserves of minerals and hydrocarbons and is central to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Separatist groups such as the BLA accuse Islamabad of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources while denying locals a fair share. Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership reject the claim and say they are investing in the province’s development.
