ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani businessman is planning to buy an English professional football club that has won six Premier League titles in collaboration with Saudi and British investors, reported a media outlet on Thursday.
Javed Afridi, who owns Peshawar Zalmi, an HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, confirmed his interest in the deal after Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire, said he wanted to sell Chelsea in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
Apart from developing business interest in Pakistan’s popular Twenty20 cricket tournament, Afridi owns a successful business in the local consumer electronics industry. He has also benefited by operating in the country’s automobile sector.
“Javed Afridi confirmed while talking to BBC Urdu that he is trying to secure the ownership of Chelsea [football club] in partnership with investors from Britain and Saudi Arabia,” said the Pakistani chapter of the BBC World Service in a recent report.
International media reported that the situation in Ukraine has also affected the world of sports, with British sports and culture minister Nadine Dorries telling parliament that her country had “tolerated the investment of Russian kleptocrats” in its football clubs for too long.
Afridi’s Peshawar Zalmi is one of the most popular PSL franchises that qualified for tournament finals four times in the past.
Zalmi won the PSL title in the second edition of the contest which took place in 2017.
Peshawar Zalmi owner plans to buy Chelsea football club in collaboration with Saudi investors
https://arab.news/8jc6e
Peshawar Zalmi owner plans to buy Chelsea football club in collaboration with Saudi investors
- Javed Afridi manages successful businesses in consumer electronic and automobile sectors of Pakistan
- He expressed interest in buying Chelsea after the club's Russian owner decided to sell it after the war in Ukraine
Pakistan concludes 60-hour joint military exercise featuring 19 states, including Saudi Arabia, US
- Exercise also featured participation from Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar, says military’s media wing
- Says exercise is designed to enhance professional military skills through exchange of innovative ideas, tactical experiences
ISLAMABAD: A 60-hour-long joint military exercise organized by Pakistan’s army concluded this week at the eastern city of Kharian, featuring participation from 19 countries including Saudi Arabia and the US, the military’s media wing said.
The 9th International Pakistan Army Team Spirit (PATS) Competition is a 60-hour-long patrolling exercise, which the Pakistani military says is designed to enhance professional military skills through the exchange of innovative ideas, tactical experiences and best practices among participating teams.
The exercise was held from Feb. 5-9 in the semi-mountainous terrains of Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, providing participants a “realistic and challenging operational environment.” Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir attended the closing ceremony of the exercise on Monday and presented awards to participants.
“Over the years, PATS has evolved into a prestigious and highly competitive military exercise, recognized for promoting professional excellence and mutual learning among participating nations,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said in a statement.
“The forum continues to strengthen military-to-military cooperation and understanding, while fostering camaraderie and team spirit in a demanding operational setting.”
This year’s exercise featured participants from 19 countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Nepal, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, USA and Uzbekistan, the ISPR said.
Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand attended the exercise as observers while 16 domestic teams from the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy, along with observers from the Pakistan Air Force also participated in the event.
Munir appreciated participating teams for their “exceptional professionalism, physical and mental endurance, operational competence and high morale” displayed during the exercise, the military’s media wing said.
“He emphasized the importance of such multinational engagements in enhancing collective preparedness and adapting to the evolving character of modern warfare,” the ISPR added.
Pakistan routinely holds joint air, ground and sea exercises with regional countries and traditional allies to foster interoperability to counter threats to global peace.
