ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India will face off in a high-octane T20 World Cup clash in October this year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Friday.
The Super 12 will begin on Oct. 16 and run for a fortnight, with the two groups set to reach their conclusion on the weekend of Nov. 5-6.
Pakistan and India will lock horns in Melbourne on Oct. 23, after qualifying for the Super 12 stage of the 16-nation tournament, which Australia will host for the first time.
“England, New Zealand, Australia and Afghanistan have been drawn together in Group 1, with India, Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh heading into Group 2,” the ICC announced.
After taking on India, Pakistan will play a Group B qualifier match on Oct. 27 and a Group A Qualifier match on Oct. 30. Both matches will take place in Perth.
On Nov. 3, Babar Azam XI will take on South Africa in Sydney, followed by a clash with Bangladesh on Nov. 6 in Adelaide.
The high-intensity Pakistan-India match is expected to draw millions of viewers across the globe.
The two nuclear-armed neighbors, who have fought three wars over the past seven decades, have an intense cricket rivalry and have not played a bilateral series for over five years now due to tense relations.
They have only meet in ICC events, with the last one being the T20 Word Cup fixture in Dubai in November 2021, during which Green Shirts thumped Men in Blue by 10 wickets to record Pakistan’s first World Cup triumph over India.
Pakistan to take on India again in T20 World Cup clash this year
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Pakistan to take on India again in T20 World Cup clash this year
- Pakistan will clash with India on Oct. 23 in Melbourne
- Pakistan recorded their first win over India in World Cups last year in Dubai
Pakistan plans 3,000 EV charging stations as green mobility push gathers pace
- Roadmap unveiled by energy efficiency regulator and a private conglomerate amid early-stage EV rollout
- New EV Policy and related plans aim to install 3,000 EV stations by 2030, including 240 stations in current fiscal year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s energy efficiency regulator and a private conglomerate have unveiled an approved roadmap to establish 3,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Tuesday.
The announcement comes as Pakistan looks to build out basic EV charging infrastructure, which remains limited and unevenly distributed, largely concentrated in major cities. Despite policy commitments to promote electric mobility as part of climate and energy-efficiency goals, the absence of a nationwide charging network has slowed broader EV adoption.
Pakistan’s EV ecosystem is still at a formative stage, with progress constrained by regulatory approvals, grid connectivity issues and coordination challenges among utilities, regulators and fuel retailers. Expanding charging infrastructure is widely seen as a prerequisite for scaling electric transport for both private and commercial use.
According to APP, the roadmap was presented during a meeting between Malik Group Chief Executive Officer Malik Khuda Baksh and National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Managing Director and Additional Secretary Humayon Khan.
“Baksh ... in a meeting with Khan, unveiled the approved roadmap for establishing 3,000 electric vehicle charging stations across Pakistan,” APP reported. “Khan reaffirmed the authority’s full institutional backing and pledged to expand the initiative to 6,000 EV charging stations nationwide.”
The discussion reviewed hurdles delaying the rollout, including EV charger imports, customs duties, regulatory documentation and inter-agency coordination.
APP said Khan welcomed the proposal and sought recommendations for “internationally compliant EV charger brands,” while asking for a detailed “issue-and-solutions report within three days” to facilitate timely implementation of the national green mobility initiative.
Despite the issuance of 13 licenses by NEECA and the arrival of five EV charging units at designated sites, progress has been slowed by procedural bottlenecks, officials said. These include delays in electricity connections, prolonged installation of separate meters and pending no-objection certificates from power distribution companies and oil marketing firms, which continue to stall operational readiness.
Pakistan’s electric vehicle ecosystem is still in its early stages, with charging infrastructure far behind levels seen in more advanced markets. The government’s New Energy Vehicle Policy and related plans aim to install 3,000 EV charging stations by 2030, including 240 stations planned in the current fiscal year, but actual deployment remains limited and uneven, mostly clustered in major cities and along key urban corridors.
Despite regulatory backing, including the 2024 Electric Vehicles Charging Infrastructure and Battery Swapping Stations framework, progress has been slow. Many proposed stations have yet to become operational due to delays in grid connections and approvals, and public maps of nationwide charging coverage are not yet available.
Private players are beginning to install more chargers, and there are over 20 public EV charging points reported in urban centers, offering both slower AC chargers and faster DC options. However, such infrastructure is still sparse compared with the growing number of electric vehicles and the government’s long-term targets.
