ISLAMABAD: The sixth season of the Pakistan Super League tournament, suspended in March due to the coronavirus, will resume from June 9, with the final match of the series on June 24, ESPNcricinfo reported on Thursday.
The tournament will be played in Abu Dhabi on a compressed schedule with as many as six double-headers and the early games starting at 5pm Abu Dhabi time, and the evening matches at 8pm local time.
The Twenty20 competition had to be suspended in March following a spate of COVID-19 cases among players and officials.
“The fate of the tournament was hanging in the balance for the last two weeks with several challenges around logistical arrangements and more crucially the pending approvals from Abu Dhabi government,” ESPNcricinfo reported. “One of the main roadblocks was getting the necessary exemptions for the production crew from India and South Africa ... The delay in their visas and then clearances for chartered flights to land in the UAE caused a delay as they are meant to undergo 10 days in quarantine on arrival.”
The tournament was earlier meant to start on June 5, with Sharjah being considered as an alternative venue.
“One of the biggest challenges was to wrap up the league before June 22 as the Pakistan squad was set to fly to England on June 23 which was later changed to June 25 after the ECB [Emirates Cricket Board] agreed to delay the start of the bilateral tour to accommodate the PSL,” the website said.
Over 300 personnel — both from Pakistan and overseas — are in Abu Dhabi and a majority of them, other than those from India and South Africa, have completed their quarantine.
Pakistan Super League to resume on June 9 in Abu Dhabi
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Pakistan Super League to resume on June 9 in Abu Dhabi
- Over 300 personnel are in Abu Dhabi for the tournament and a majority have already completed their quarantine
- Twenty20 competition was suspended in March following a spate of COVID-19 cases among players and officials
Pakistan plans $80 million seafood zone at Karachi harbor to target Gulf markets
- Plan aims to move exports away from raw seafood toward higher-value processed products
- Project will be developed under public-private partnership or build-operate-transfer model
KARACHI: Pakistan plans to develop a seafood processing and export zone at Karachi’s Qur’angi Fisheries Harbor that could cost up to $80 million to boost value-added exports and position the country as a supplier to the Gulf and other regional markets, Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said on Saturday.
The proposed 100-acre project aims to shift Pakistan away from exporting raw seafood by building modern processing, cold-chain and packaging infrastructure linked to international buyers, as Islamabad looks to expand its blue economy and deepen maritime trade ties with the region.
In a statement, Chaudhry said the zone would be developed, financed and operated under a public-private partnership or build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, with private investors running the facilities and the Qur’angi Fisheries Harbor Authority retaining regulatory oversight.
“The estimated project cost ranges between $60 million and $80 million, based on regional benchmarks from countries such as Vietnam, China and Ecuador, which have developed similar seafood parks,” Chaudhry said.
He said the facility would include 20 to 25 medium- to large-scale seafood processing units for fish, shrimp and cephalopods, alongside large-scale cold storage, blast freezing, packaging facilities, logistics and export terminals, and a wastewater treatment plant to ensure environmentally compliant operations.
“Packaging and labeling units would operate under international food safety and quality standards, including HACCP and ISO certifications, offering vacuum packing, modified atmosphere packaging and retail-ready solutions,” he said, referring to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a preventive food safety system.
ISO certification verifies that a company’s management systems meet international standards.
The minister said the zone would be used exclusively for commercial seafood processing, packaging, cold storage and export-oriented activities, with multi-temperature storage ranging from minus 18 to minus 40 degrees Celsius and ice plants capable of producing 50 to 100 tons daily.
Chaudhry said the preferred investment structure is a BOT concession under which the private partner would finance, develop and operate the project for an expected 20-year tenure, with ownership reverting to the harbor authority at the end of the concession period.
He added that the estimated internal rate of return was projected between 13 percent and 17 percent, with revenue generated through lease rentals, processing fees, logistics services and export-linked earnings.
“The project will position Pakistan as a key maritime trade and seafood export hub serving Gulf, East African and Asian markets,” Chaudhry said.
