COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will bolster security for international cricketers after an expatriate factory manager was beaten and set ablaze by a mob in Pakistan over blasphemy allegations, an official said Monday.
A dozen players from Pakistan are taking part in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) T20 competition, including veterans Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez.
An official from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) told AFP that extra precautions will be taken in light of Friday’s vigilante lynching in Pakistan, which has caused outrage across Sri Lanka.
“We have enhanced security across the board, not just for the Pakistani players,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The remains of the expat factory manager Priyantha Diyawadana were repatriated to Colombo on Monday, and authorities in Sri Lanka have asked for the culprits to be punished for the “brutal and fatal attack.”
Few issues are as galvanizing in Pakistan as blasphemy, and even the slightest suggestion of an insult to Islam can supercharge protests and incite lynchings.
The five-team LPL began Sunday and ends with a December 23 final.
Sri Lanka to bolster cricket security after Pakistan lynching
https://arab.news/2kxrc
Sri Lanka to bolster cricket security after Pakistan lynching
- A dozen players from Pakistan are taking part in Lanka Premier League T20 competition
- Friday's vigilante lynching in Pakistan has caused outrage across Sri Lanka
Pakistan’s first female central bank governor dies at 71
- Shamshad Akhtar led the State Bank of Pakistan from 2006 to 2009 and later served twice as caretaker finance minister
- Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb describes Akhtar as an accomplished economist and an outstanding human being
KARACHI: Shamshad Akhtar, Pakistan’s first woman to serve as governor of the central bank and one of the country’s most internationally experienced economic policymakers, died at the age of 71, officials said on Saturday.
Akhtar led the State Bank of Pakistan from 2006 to 2009, becoming the first and only woman to lead the institution since its establishment in 1948. She later served twice as caretaker finance minister, overseeing fiscal management during transitional governments ahead of the 2018 and 2024 general elections.
According to local media reports, Akhtar died of cardiac arrest.
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over her passing in a statement.
“The president paid tribute to her services in the field of economics and financial management, noting her contribution to strengthening economic governance in the country,” the presidency said, adding that he extended condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the departed soul.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb described Akhtar as a highly accomplished economist and an outstanding human being.
“Dr. Shamshad Akhtar was a dignified, principled and wise voice in Pakistan’s economic history,” he said.
He said she served Pakistan with integrity and dedication across several senior economic roles, adding that her national service would always be remembered with respect.
At the time of her death, Akhtar was serving as chairperson of the Pakistan Stock Exchange, a role that placed her at the intersection of Pakistan’s monetary policy, fiscal management and capital markets.
Beyond Pakistan, she held senior positions at major international institutions, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Born in Hyderabad, she was educated in Karachi and Islamabad and held advanced degrees in economics from institutions in Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
Akhtar was widely regarded as a technocrat known for institutional discipline, policy continuity and a strong commitment to economic reform.
With input from Reuters
