ISLAMABAD: Zimbabwe has chosen Harare as the venue for its first international cricket games since the pandemic began with Pakistan due to play three Twenty20s and two test matches in April.
The Twenty20 series will be played from April 21-25, followed by the test matches on April 29-May 3 and May 7-11.
Pakistan will fly out to Harare from Johannesburg on April 17 following its three ODIs and four T20s against South Africa.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board has been at the forefront of the revival of international cricket in the post COVID-19 world and the tour of Zimbabwe is another step in that direction,” PCB director of international cricket, Zakir Khan, said in a statement on Sunday.
“We have always maintained that cricket and COVID-19 can co-exist in a safe and secure environment, and we continue to demonstrate this to ensure the game develops and flourishes in these difficult and challenging times.”
Pakistan has won all of the 14 T20 matches the teams have played. It has also won 10 of the 17 test matches it played against the African nation. Zimbabwe has won three of the test matches.
Zimbabwe last hosted Sri Lanka for a two-test series in January last year before the coronavirus halted most sports around the world.
Harare to host three T20s and two test matches against Pakistan
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Harare to host three T20s and two test matches against Pakistan
- Pakistan will fly out to Harare from Johannesburg on April 17 after three ODIs and four T20s against South Africa
- Twenty20 series will be played from April 21-25, followed by test matches on April 29-May 3 and May 7-11
EU criticizes Pakistan over jailing of rights lawyers, flags free speech concerns
- EU says the convictions of Imaan Mazari-Hazir, Hadi Ali Chattha violate freedom of expression
- Both lawyers were arrested last week over social media posts under Pakistan’s cybercrime laws
KARACHI: The European Union on Thursday criticized Pakistan over the conviction of two human rights lawyers for their social media activity, saying the ruling ran counter to freedom of expression and the independence of the legal profession, core democratic principles that Islamabad is committed to uphold under international law.
Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested last Friday as they were on their way to a court appearance and were later remanded to two weeks in judicial custody.
Authorities accused them of violating the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over posts on X that they said incited ethnic divisions and portrayed the military as being involved in “terrorism.” Both deny the allegations.
“The conviction of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha over social media activity goes against freedom of expression and independence of lawyers,” Anouar El Anouni, the EU’s spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, said in a post on X. “These are not only key democratic principles but also part of Pakistan’s international human rights commitments.”
Pakistan is one of the largest beneficiaries of the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which grants duty-free access to most European markets in return for implementing 27 international conventions covering human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and good governance.
Pakistan’s GSP+ status came under scrutiny in the past after, in April 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for an immediate review, citing concerns over violence against religious minorities, curbs on media freedom and broader human rights issues.
Earlier this week, lawyers in Pakistan’s capital went on strike and announced plans to stage a protest against the court ruling, which handed Mazari-Hazir and Chattha a cumulative 17-year sentence.
The Pakistani government has not yet responded to the EU statement.
