Pakistan win toss, elect to bat first against Sri Lanka in must-win Asia Cup clash

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan celebrates scoring a half century as Iftikhar Ahmed watches during the Asia Cup cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Thursday, Sept.14, 2023. (AP)
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Updated 14 September 2023
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Pakistan win toss, elect to bat first against Sri Lanka in must-win Asia Cup clash

  • In case of a washout today, Sri Lanka will cruise to the Asia Cup final against India on virtue of a better run rate
  • Right-arm pacer Zaman Khan will make his debut against Sri Lanka as injuries rule out Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cricket captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka on Thursday as his side takes on the Asia Cup defending champions in a must-win encounter in Colombo. 

Rain delayed a must-win Asia Cup match in Colombo between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, making it a 45 overs-a-side match between the two teams. 

Pakistan will pray for the match to finish without interruptions today as a washout would mean Sri Lana qualify for the final of the tournament against India courtesy of a better run rate. 

“Saud Shakeel and Imam ul Haq are out,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement. “Saud has fever and Imam has suffered a back spasm during warm up.

“Fakhar Zaman and Abdullah Shafique come in.”

Pakistan have called in right-arm pacer Zaman Khan to replace the injured Shah against Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup tournament. 

Khan and Shahnawaz Dahani were called up as reserve pacers by the PCB as a “precautionary move” following injuries to Rauf and Shah during Monday’s Asia Cup fixture against India. 




Ground staff stand on the filed as the Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan delays due to wet out field in Colombo, Sri Lanka on September 14, 2023. (AP)

Pakistan suffered a demoralizing defeat at the hands of India in their second Super Four match of the Asia Cup on Monday, losing to Rohit Sharma’s squad by a whopping 228 runs. Pakistan’s dangerous pace attack was no match for the Indian batters, who piled on 356/2 at the end of 50 overs. In response, Pakistan were bowled out for 128 runs by the rival team.

The PCB said Rauf “continues to recover well” after he felt discomfort in his right flank on Sunday against India.

Pakistan made one other change to their playing XI squad against Sri Lanka, dropping out-of-form opening batter Fakhar Zaman and opting instead for the aggressive Mohammad Haris.




Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka unsuccessfully attempts to catch the ball off a shot played by Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique during the Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan in Colombo, Sri Lanka on September 14, 2023. (AP)

“Mohammad Haris, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr., and Zaman Khan will be in the team,” the PCB said in a statement. “Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf will rest.”

Pakistan Bowling Coach Morne Morkel spoke about the team’s devastating loss to India, saying it had been a good learning experience ahead of the 50-over World Cup match where they will meet once again in Ahmedabad on October 14.

“Those are fantastic learnings for us,” Morkel, who rated Shaheen as “world-class,” said. “The more tough situations we can face leading into the World Cup, that’s brilliant. You know, we’re gonna grow from this and then come back stronger.”


TikTok says removed 30 million videos in Pakistan for violating its guidelines

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TikTok says removed 30 million videos in Pakistan for violating its guidelines

  • The video-sharing platform made the disclosure in its report for second quarter of this year
  • Key findings show 99.5 percent of videos were proactively removed before users reported them

ISLAMABAD: Video-sharing platform TikTok has taken down around 30 million videos in Pakistan for violating its community guidelines, the company said on Tuesday, underscoring its resolve to effectively combat violations.
TikTok, a social media app that allows users to create and share short-form videos, disclosed in its report for the second quarter of the year the platform had become extremely popular among younger generations, with over a billion active users worldwide.
The Q2 2024 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report detailed TikTok’s approach to content moderation in Pakistan, ensuring transparency into content generation in the South Asian country.
“The report reveals that over 30,709,744 videos were removed from TikTok in Pakistan in the latest reporting period as the platform continues to strengthen its content moderation systems to safeguard its diverse community,” TikTok said on Tuesday.
“Key findings show that 99.5 percent of these videos were proactively removed before users reported them, with 97 percent taken down within 24 hours.”
This highlighted TikTok’s commitment to ensure a “safer platform” for Pakistani users by removing harmful content before receiving any complaints, it said, adding that a total of 178, 827,465 videos were removed this year.
The platform continued to prioritize and enhance automated moderation technology which helped remove 144,430,133 videos and underscored the TikTok’s “innovative use of its detection technology to eliminate harmful content in real-time,” according to the report.
“With a proactive detection rate now at 98.2 percent, TikTok is more efficient than ever at addressing harmful content before users encounter it,” the platform said.
“The report also highlights a 50 percent reduction in the number of restored videos, reinforcing the accuracy and effectiveness of TikTok’s content moderation systems.”
This is not the first time that TikTok has removed videos from Pakistan. It took down approximately 20 million videos in Pakistan for violating community guidelines in the first quarter of this year.
In the past, Pakistani authorities have banned the video-sharing service several times, with the first ban instituted in October 2020 over what was described as widespread complaints about allegedly “immoral, obscene, and vulgar” content on the app.
The service has been prohibited from operating in the country thrice for more than 15 months since then. In November 2021, a Pakistani court finally reversed the ban after TikTok assured the government it would control the spread of objectionable content.


Pakistan seizes weapons at Torkham border as Afghanistan denies knowledge of trafficking

Updated 32 min 32 sec ago
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Pakistan seizes weapons at Torkham border as Afghanistan denies knowledge of trafficking

  • Pakistan’s customs authorities say a vehicle carrying coal was trying to smuggle US-made weapons, ammunition
  • Driver of the vehicle disappeared before being arrested, according to official Pakistani statement about the incident

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistan’s customs authorities have seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition at the Torkham border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province from a vehicle arriving from Afghanistan, according to an official statement, though an Afghan official denied knowledge of any weapons trafficking at the busy border crossing.

The statement released by Pakistan Customs on Monday said that a truck carrying coal entered Pakistan’s import terminal on Friday and was selected for thorough inspection following the scanning procedure.

It revealed that the seized weapons and ammunition were US-made and valued at approximately Rs35 million ($125,000).

This development comes amid already strained relations between the two neighboring states, with a surge in militant violence in Pakistan. Authorities in Islamabad have accused Afghan officials of "facilitating" armed groups targeting Pakistani civilians and security forces, a claim denied by the Taliban administration in Kabul.

“On 11th October, 2024 at about 6:50 pm, a vehicle bearing registration No. KBL 51828 loaded with coal entered the import terminal and was regarded as abnormal in NLC [National Logistic Cell] scan image,” the statement said. “Upon examination, weapons parts/ammunitions were detected,”

It informed the recovered items included “gun barrels (15Nos), loaded magazines (170), having 30 rounds each with a total of 5,100 rounds.”

All the smuggled items were shifted to the Customs Appraisement Office for action, though the driver of the vehicle disappeared before his arrest.

“Further investigation is underway,” the statement said.

Pakistan has raised concerns that US military equipment left behind in Afghanistan after the 2021 withdrawal has ended up in the hands of militants, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who have been using it to target Pakistani security forces.

The US government has previously said these weapons were intended for the Afghan National Army, which had been trained and equipped by US military officials prior to the Taliban’s return to power. However, much of this equipment fell into the hands of militant factions after the withdrawal of international forces.

According to Haji Hikmatullah Safi, the Torkham Gate Commissioner on the Afghan side, his country was neither aware of any attempt to smuggle arms nor had Pakistan shared any information about the development.

“We have put strict checking measures in place to discourage any kind of smuggling through this vital border crossing,” he told Arab News. “We have three separate departments for vehicle checking before they enter Pakistan.”

Asked about the development, a Pakistani customs official at Torkham, Umar Jan, confirmed the weapons recovered from the vehicle were left over by the US in Afghanistan.

“We don’t need to share this information directly or immediately with our Afghan counterparts,” he continued. “Rather, we share it with the relevant department, which can then raise the issue at the appropriate time.”

 


Pakistan advocates global collaboration in Vienna against transnational organized crime

Updated 45 min 46 sec ago
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Pakistan advocates global collaboration in Vienna against transnational organized crime

  • Pakistan raised the issue at the Conference of Parties to UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
  • Top FIA official highlights Pakistan’s efforts to tackle human trafficking, migrant smuggling at the forum in Austria

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has emphasized the need for international cooperation to strengthen the capacity of developing countries in combating organized crimes such as money laundering, human trafficking and cybercrime, the country’s top investigation agency said on Tuesday, at a forum in Vienna.

The 12th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is currently being held in Austria. Pakistan was represented by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Chief Ahmad Ishaque Jehangir, Director General of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority Ehsan Sadiq and Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram.

The COP to the UNTOC, held every two years, serves as a vital platform for member states to discuss and develop strategies for enhancing cooperation in combating organized crime. The UNTOC remains the primary international instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime.

“[The top FIA official] called for international cooperation grounded in mutual respect and shared responsibility, stressing the importance of strengthening the capacities of developing countries in combating organized crimes such as money laundering, human trafficking, and cybercrime,” said an official statement released on Tuesday.

Addressing the session, the FIA chief called for a “holistic approach” to address the root causes associated with the challenges posed by transnational organized crime.

Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to tackling these issues, he highlighted how economic disparities and lack of opportunities created “fertile grounds” for criminal enterprises and termed it pivotal to promote “inclusive and sustainable development.”

The FIA chief underscored Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to tackle human trafficking and migrant smuggling, emphasizing the need to expand legal migration pathways to address “irregular” migration.

He also spoke about corruption and illicit financial flows, highlighting the legislative reforms undertaken by Pakistan to combat money laundering and “terrorist financing.”

Jehangir urged the global community to expedite the return of stolen assets to developing countries so that the “ill-gotten resources” were utilized for socio-economic development.

He also emphasized that a “united global effort” was essential for achieving UNTOC objectives for ensuring a safer and more just world for everyone.

 


Pakistani, Russian armies kick off ‘Druzhba-VII’ joint counter-terror exercise

Updated 15 October 2024
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Pakistani, Russian armies kick off ‘Druzhba-VII’ joint counter-terror exercise

  • Exercise aims to harness military-to-military ties between Pakistan and Russia, says army’s media wing 
  • Two-week-long exercise kicked off in Pakistan’s northwestern town of Pabbi, says Inter-Services Public Relations

ISLAMABAD: The armies of Pakistan and Russia have kicked off a bilateral joint counter-terrorism exercise, “Druzhba VII” this week to refine their militaries joint training and enhance military-to-military relations, the army’s media wing said on Tuesday. 

The two-week-long exercise commenced on Oct. 13 at the National Counter Terrorism Center in the northwestern town of Pabbi, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said. Pakistan army’s light commando troops and the Russian military contingent are taking part in Druzhba VII 

“The Exercise is aimed at refining professional skills through joint training besides harnessing the historic military-to-military relations among the friendly countries,” the ISPR said. “Participating troops are looking forward to benefit from mutual expertise/ experience.”

Pakistan and Russia have been deepening their military cooperation over the past few years. In 2014, Russia lifted a longstanding arms embargo imposed on Pakistan while in August 2015, it agreed to sell four Mi-35M attack helicopters to Pakistan.

The two countries have also warmed up to each other in recent years, with Islamabad and Moscow bolstering efforts to enhance bilateral trade and investment. Earlier this month, Pakistan’s commerce minister led a delegation of 70 businesspersons to an inaugural trade and investment forum between the two countries in Moscow. 

In order to escape a prolonged economic crisis, Islamabad seeks to enhance its role as a transit hub for landlocked economies in Central Asia. For this, it has expressed interest in connecting with Russia through Central Asian states for bilateral trade.

Islamabad’s ties with Russia also saw significant improvement last year after Pakistan started purchasing Russian crude oil at a discount rate. The development came after geopolitical tensions almost doubled the fuel prices in Pakistan last year, forcing the South Asian country to opt for cheaper sources of fuel.

Pakistan also received its first shipment of liquified petroleum gas from Russia in September 2023, marking Islamabad’s second major Russian energy purchase. Last month, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk arrived in Islamabad on a brief visit, seeking to expand trade and investment ties with Pakistan.
 


Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam University breaks into top 500 global institutions

Updated 15 October 2024
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Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam University breaks into top 500 global institutions

  • Located in Islamabad, the university is placed in the 401-500 band by Times Higher Education Rankings
  • Other Pakistani educational institutions on the list include LUMS, NUST, COMSATS and Air University

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam University has secured a spot among the top 500 universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, with the institution placed in the 401-500 band.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are released annually and consider several benchmarks that include teaching, research, employability, and sustainability. Securing a position in these rankings not only enhances a university’s reputation but also reflects its academic excellence and global impact.
Quaid-e-Azam University is the only educational institution in Pakistan to fall in the 401-500 ranking band followed by seven other local universities falling within the 601-800 band.
“This year’s ranking analyzed more than 134 million citations across 16.5 million research publications and included survey responses from 68,402 scholars globally,” the Times Higher Education website said. “Overall, we collected 411,789 data points from more than 2,673 institutions that submitted data.”
“Trusted worldwide by students, teachers, governments and industry experts, the 2024 league table reveals how the global higher education landscape is shifting,” it added.
The Pakistani universities in the 601-800 band include Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Air University, Capital University of Science and Technology, COMSATS University Islamabad, University of Engineering and Technology Taxila, Government College University Faisalabad and National University of Sciences and Technology.
Eleven Pakistani universities attained a spot in the 801-1000 ranking band including Bahria University, Hazara University Mansehra, International Islamic University Islamabad, Islamia College Peshawar, University of Lahore, Lahore University of Management Sciences, University of Malakand, University of Management and Technology, University of the Punjab, Institute of Space Technology and University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore.
The 1001-1200 ranking band included 13 Pakistani universities while the 1201-1500 ranking band included four local universities and the rest fall in the 1500+ category.
Quaid-e-Azam University is located in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad. Its inclusion in top 500 global institutions underscores its emerging prominence on the world stage, highlighting its commitment to delivering quality education and research.