KARACHI/LAHORE: Welcome to the fourth episode of ‘Googly Shughali,’ a special web show by Arab News covering the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League cricket series.
In this episode, cricket’s famous funny ladies Mahwish Bhatti (Maho) and Aimun Faisal lament the postponement of the PSL series last week after a number of players tested positive for the coronavirus. It’s “everyone’s loss,” said Maho, wondering how one could get over the heartbreak.
“There’s no solution to this, just be sad,” Aimun said, reminding her co-host that Pakistanis were already used to almost a decade without international cricket after a militant attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009.
Ultimately the big question Maho and Aimun ask is: was PSL canceled because of the coronavirus or because the Lahore Qalandars finally started playing well? Find out here.
#GooglyShughali: How to get over heartbreak of PSL postponement — Keep being sad
https://arab.news/vux58
#GooglyShughali: How to get over heartbreak of PSL postponement — Keep being sad
- Welcome to fourth episode of ‘Googly Shughali,’ a special web show by Arab News covering sixth edition of Pakistan Super League
- In this episode Maho and Aimun wonder: Was PSL canceled because of coronavirus or because Lahore Qalandars finally started playing well?
Government hails joining Gaza peace board as ‘diplomatic success’ amid opposition criticism
- Ahsan Iqbal says Pakistan took the decision after consulting other Muslim nations
- Opposition objects to joining Trump-chaired forum without parliamentary consensus
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday described its decision to join a newly formed international body aimed at supporting peace efforts in Gaza as a “diplomatic success,” dismissing opposition criticism that the move was taken without parliamentary consensus.
The Gaza Board of Peace brings together participating states and international stakeholders seeking to support dialogue, stability and peace-related initiatives linked to the conflict in the Palestinian enclave.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the forum’s charter a day earlier on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos.
Opposition lawmakers objected to the decision in parliament, saying the government joined the initiative without taking them into confidence or disclosing its terms.
“If Pakistan had not gone to the Board of Peace today, these honorable members would have been making the same forceful speeches that Pakistan has been isolated, that no one is engaging with Pakistan and asking why Pakistan was not included in such a major peace initiative,” Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal said in a parliamentary address.
“If Pakistan has been given center stage today, enabling us to contribute to peace in Palestine and Gaza alongside our brotherly Islamic countries, then this is a major diplomatic success for Pakistan, one that we should welcome rather than standing aside,” he added.
Iqbal said Islamabad had taken the decision after consulting other Muslim nations and described the forum as part of an international initiative aimed at ending bloodshed in Gaza.
He added that the initiative had been welcomed by Palestinians, even as Pakistan’s decision to pursue it with other nations faced criticism at home.
Representatives of 19 countries signed the charter on Thursday alongside US President Donald Trump, who addressed the gathering but offered few details about the body’s mandate, how it would operate or how it might pursue conflict resolution efforts.
Pakistan and seven other Muslim countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday that they had accepted Trump’s invitation to join the board, expressing hope that it could contribute to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Chaired by Trump, the board is expected to include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Israel announced on Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would also be a member of the board.
