KARACHI: Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches may face continued delays, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday, as 13 players and officials who were stopped from boarding a flight to Abu Dhabi, where the remaining games were scheduled to start on June 5, would move to their respective homes.
In mid-May, the Pakistan Cricket Board received the approval from the United Arab Emirates government to stage the remaining 20 matches of the PSL Twenty20 tournament in Abu Dhabi after it was suspended in Pakistan in March after several local and foreign players tested positive for COVID-19.
“The decision has been made to allow the players and officials to spend time with their families as there can potentially be some more delays in the issuance of the remaining visas. As soon as the visas are processed, the players will undergo the mandatory PCR tests before boarding the first available commercial flight,” a PCB statement said.
The Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ASC) had obtained special permission for 16 people to fly on commercial flights, PCB said in a statement, but eleven of them, including Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfraz Ahmed, failed to get clearance to board their airplane.
Others who could not fly include fast blowers Naseem Shah, Musa Khan, Muhammad Haris and Amir Khan, who were supposed to reach Abu Dhabi via Doha.
As once they reach the UAE, players have to complete a 10-day quarantine period, the resumption of the season may not be possible on June 5. The tentative date for the resumption of matches is now June 9 or June 10, according to local media reports.
Meanwhile, five players and officials arrived in Abu Dhabi from Karachi this afternoon via Doha, while 12 players and officials will leave Lahore on Sunday evening before arriving in Abu Dhabi via Bahrain on Monday morning.
PCB Director head Babar Hamid said in the statement the board regretted the inconvenience caused “due to unforeseen circumstances and unexpected challenges.”
“The PCB is working hand in glove with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Emirates Cricket Board, and trying its best to get all participants in Abu Dhabi in time so that we can hold the remaining tournament,” he said.
PSL faces 'some more delays' after players stopped from boarding UAE flight
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PSL faces 'some more delays' after players stopped from boarding UAE flight
- Once players reach UAE, they have to complete a 10-day quarantine period so resumption of season not be possible on June 5
- In May, the Pakistan Cricket Board received approval from UAE government to stage 20 PSL matches in Abu Dhabi
Pakistan condemns Israel’s contentious move to approve land registration in West Bank
- Israel’s cabinet on Sunday voted in favor of beginning land registration process that makes it easier for settlers to buy lands in West Bank
- Pakistan’s foreign office says such measures in violation of international law, UN General Assembly and Security Council resolution
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Monday condemned the Israeli cabinet’s contentious decision to approve registration of large areas of land in the West Bank as “state property,” saying the move was in violation of international law and the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Members of the Israeli cabinet on Sunday voted in favor of beginning a process of land registration in the West Bank for the first time since 1967. The move is being seen by many, including the Palestinian Authority (PA), as measures to tighten Israel’s control over the West Bank area by making it easier for Jewish settlers to buy land.
The ruling Israeli coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties. The West Bank is among the territories that Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the PA.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the latest attempt by the Israeli occupying power to convert areas of the Occupied West Bank into so-called state property, and to expand illegal settlement activities,” Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said such actions are “in clear violation” of international law, UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. It stressed that such measures must be rejected by the international community.
“Pakistan calls on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law,” the statement said.
The foreign office reiterated its support for the people of Palestine in securing their right to self-determination, and for an independent, Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The PA presidency has rejected the cabinet’s decision, saying it constitutes “a de-facto annexation of occupied Palestinian territory and a declaration of the commencement of annexation plans aimed at entrenching the occupation through illegal settlement activity.”
The United Nations’ highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.
