Pakistan face hosts Saudi Arabia in six-nation women’s football tournament today

Pakistan women's football team poses for a picture before the Pakistan vs Malaysia football match, on September 21, 2023, during the six-nation football tournament hosted by Saudi Arabia. (Photo courtesy: Pakistan Football Federation/File)
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Updated 24 September 2023
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Pakistan face hosts Saudi Arabia in six-nation women’s football tournament today

  • Six-nation tournament features Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bhutan, Lebanon, Laos and Malaysia
  • Pakistan last faced Saudi Arabia in January this year, drawing 1-1 against the formidable side 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan women’s football team will take on hosts Saudi Arabia today, Sunday, when the two sides meet in a six-nation football tournament match at the King Fahd Stadium in Taif city. 

The women’s football tournament features Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Laos, Malaysia and Bhutan. Pakistan, led by skipper Maria Jamil Khan, ended up drawing 0-0 against Malaysia on Thursday. 

“Pakistan’s quest for glory resumes against Saudi Arabia,” the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

 

 

Pakistan last traveled to Saudi Arabia in January this year to participate in a four-nation tournament that also featured Comoros and Mauritius. The South Asian side beat Comoros before losing to Mauritius 2-1 but ended the tournament on an impressive note, drawing 1-1 against a formidable Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom ended up winning the tournament.

However, Khan’s free kick goal against Saudi Arabia managed to garner praise after it went viral on social media. 

 

 

Among the recent achievements of the Pakistani women’s football team is a thumping 7-0 victory over Maldives in the South Asian Football Federation championship in September 2022. In April this year, Pakistan defied all odds and emerged victorious with a 1-0 win over Tajikistan in the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It was Pakistan’s first win at a major global tournament since returning to regular international football in September 2022 after a long hiatus. Previously, the team had only bagged wins in friendly matches or exhibition tournaments like the Four-Nation Cup in Saudi Arabia. 


Howzat! Pakistan cops arrested after shaking down star cricketer

Updated 8 min 15 sec ago
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Howzat! Pakistan cops arrested after shaking down star cricketer

  • Sohaib Maqsood said he paid Rs8,000, or around $28, on his way to participate in a T20 match
  • Cricketers are usually treated as celebrities in Pakistan, but usually conceal their identities in public

KARACHI: Four Pakistan police officers have been charged with corruption hours after one of the country’s top cricketers complained of having been shaken down for bribes during a recent road trip, officials said Tuesday.
Sohaib Maqsood, who played 29 one-day internationals and 26 Twenty20 matches for Pakistan until 2021, wrote on X that he had been stopped while driving from Karachi to Multan.
“Sindh police is so corrupt that they stop you after 50 km and ask for money or they threat you to go to the police station...,” he posted.
He said he paid 8,000 rupees (around $28) on his way to take part in a T20 match.
Later Tuesday, a statement from Sindh police said four police officers had been found to have been involved in the incident.
“Legal action has been initiated,” the statement said, adding that two police officials had been suspended for “negligence.”
Police officers in Pakistan have long been accused of corruption, and those in rural areas of the Sindh province have a particularly bad reputation.
International cricketers are usually treated as celebrities in Pakistan, but often conceal their identities in public.


Pakistan to highlight climate resilience initiatives, push for global action at COP28 in Dubai

Updated 35 min 16 sec ago
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Pakistan to highlight climate resilience initiatives, push for global action at COP28 in Dubai

  • UAE will host the UN climate conference from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 which will be attended by 70,000 people
  • Pakistan wants inclusion of developing nations, instead of just the least developed states, in loss and damage fund

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plans to set up a pavilion at the UN climate change conference in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a senior government official in Islamabad announced on Tuesday, to focus on critical issues to help countries worldwide build climate resilience together.
The 28th session of the UN Conference of the Parties (COP 28) is scheduled to be held in Dubai between November 30 and December 12, with around 70,000 attendees expected, including global leaders, academics and youth representatives.
“Our priorities at COP28 include loss and damage fund architecture and operationalization,” Ministry of Climate Change Secretary Syed Asif Hyder Shah told reporters during a media briefing in Islamabad.
He added that Pakistan was looking forward to the “first global stocktake” to assess the world’s progress on climate action and advance the mitigation work program, which required countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The country also planned to emphasize climate finance, urging other nations to hold developed countries accountable for their commitment to mobilizing $100 billion annually to aid developing states in climate change response.
Shah recalled that last year, following unprecedented monsoon rains and floods that caused massive infrastructure and agricultural losses in Pakistan, his country’s theme at COP27 in Egypt was, “What happened in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan.”
This year, the slogan is “building resilience together.”
“Pakistan will set up a pavilion at COP28, hosting panel discussions on critical issues,” Shah continued, noting that projects on building climate resilience would be showcased to visitors, with the pavilion’s agenda evolving daily.
He highlighted that COP27 saw an agreement on the loss and damage fund, where Pakistan played a key role.
In Egypt, Pakistan joined other developing nations in advocating for a global fund to address climate-induced disasters.
“Pakistan’s greenhouse gas emissions account for only one percent globally, in contrast to the 64 percent emitted by the five major polluters with greater wealth and global GDP,” Shah said, emphasizing the need for an interim fund that becomes standalone after three years, focusing on developing countries.
He also mentioned that Pakistan intended to argue for the inclusion of developing countries in the loss and damage fund, diverging from developed nations’ focus on the least developed states.
He stressed the importance of adapting measures to respond to and manage climate change impacts, crucial for countries like Pakistan for disaster preparedness and capacity building.
“Climate finance should not only concentrate on mitigation but also emphasize adaptation,” he concluded.


Senior World Bank official proposes key reforms for Pakistan’s development ahead of elections

Updated 28 November 2023
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Senior World Bank official proposes key reforms for Pakistan’s development ahead of elections

  • Martin Raiser says Pakistan needs to decide if it wants to pursue past policies or take difficult and crucial steps ahead
  • The World Bank official points out Pakistan’s low-growth economy is increasing poverty along with climate vulnerability

KARACHI: World Bank’s Regional Vice President for South Asia Martin Raiser on Tuesday unveiled a series of policy recommendations to outline key areas requiring the attention of Pakistani authorities to improve the quality of life for its people.
Raiser, who is currently visiting the South Asian state and plans to meet officials on federal and provincial levels, primarily focused on issues like child stunting, education, fiscal sustainability, private sector growth, energy, agriculture, poverty and climate change.
The policy recommendations presented by him intend to help inform the public policy dialogue in the country ahead the general elections scheduled in February.
“Pakistan’s economy is stuck in a low-growth trap with poor human development outcomes and increasing poverty,” the senior World Bank official said in Islamabad. “Economic conditions leave Pakistan highly vulnerable to climate shocks, with insufficient public resources to finance development and climate adaptation.”
“It is now time for Pakistan to decide whether to maintain the patterns of the past or take difficult but crucial steps toward a brighter future,” he added.
The policy recommendations include the necessity of addressing the “acute human capital crisis” in the country, according to a World Bank statement, including the high prevalence of stunting and learning poverty by adopting a coordinated and coherent cross-sectoral approach.
The also suggest improving the quality of public spending and taking serious measures to expand the revenue base, ensuring that the better off pay their share.
Additionally, the recommendations called for Pursuing business regulatory and trade reforms and reducing the presence of the state in the economy to increase productivity, competitiveness, and exports.
“Almost 40 percent of children in Pakistan suffer from stunted growth, more than 78 percent of Pakistan’s children cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of 10,” Raiser said. “These are stark indicators of a silent human capital crisis that needs priority attention.”
“With additional spending on water and sanitation of around 1 percent of GDP per year and better coordination at the local level, stunting could be halved over a decade with significant positive impacts on growth and incomes,” he noted. “This is just one example of the huge economic benefits a coherent and decisive reform strategy could have.”
The World Bank official plans to interact with representatives from the private sector and academia during his stay in the country.
He will also visit various hydropower projects in Pakistan along with project sites in Sindh and Punjab.


Pakistan court rules ex-PM Khan’s trial to continue in jail, allows media access

Updated 28 November 2023
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Pakistan court rules ex-PM Khan’s trial to continue in jail, allows media access

  • Khan and his close aide Shah Mahmood Qureshi are charged with leaking state secrets
  • Trial previously held behind closed doors in jail, now media, public, family to get access

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani judge ruled on Tuesday the trial of prime minister Imran Khan in a case in which he is accused of leaking state secrets would be held in jail but members of the public and media would have access.

Khan, who is the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, is being held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, serving a three-year sentence in a separate case in which he was convicted in August of failing to disclose assets earned from the sale of state gifts while he was PM from 2018-2022. Khan is also accused in a number of other cases, including what has come to be called the cipher case, in which he has been indicted for leaking official secrets and using them for political gains.

The government had announced in August that the trial in the cipher case would be held in jail for “security reasons,” and a special court had since been conducting the trial on the prison premises, with no members of the public or media allowed. Last week, however, the Islamabad High Court declared the confidential proceedings illegal, following appeals by Khan’s lawyers that their client would not be given a fair trial behind closed doors. 

Public hearings in the matter began last Thursday at the Judicial Complex in Islamabad, but Khan did not appear and the case was adjourned until Nov. 28, with the court directing the ex-premier, and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who has also been indicted in the case, to appear in person on that date.

Khan and Qureshi, who have both pleaded not guilty, were not brought to the court on Tuesday when the judge ruled that the trial would continue in jail but media and the public would be allowed access to the court proceedings. Five family members of each suspect would also be allowed to attend the hearing.

The next hearing has been set for Dec. 1 at Adiala Jail.

“The jail officials are saying that he [Khan] cannot be presented,” the judge remarked after reviewing a report submitted by Adiala jail authorities. 

Lawyers representing Khan and Qureshi objected to the report and urged the court to implement its previous order that the duo be presented in court.

“It was their [jail authorities] responsibility to present the suspect [Khan] in the court,” Salman Safdar, who is representing Khan, said.

Safdar also rubbished reports by intelligence agencies that there was a threat to Khan’s life, saying it was the state’s responsibility to provide him security.

“If there are security threats, then please adjourn this hearing for an indefinite period,” Safdar urged the court. “The accused should be granted bail if the jail authorities could not present him here for the trial.”

Qureshi’s lawyer also argued that it was “court’s responsibility to get its [production] orders implemented”:

“If the court orders are not implemented, you [the judge] have the authority to send the government officials to jail.”

Khan had been appearing in courts prior to his August arrest protected by his personal security guards. But he has also sought exemptions from personal appearances, often citing threats to his safety.

Khan, arguably the most popular politician in the country, has not been seen since he was arrested in August. Before that, he would regularly address his millions of followers via social media and hold massive public rallies and protest marches.

The cipher case relates to an alleged diplomatic correspondence between Washington and Islamabad that Khan says was proof that his ouster as PM in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April 2022 was part of a US conspiracy to remove him. Washington has repeatedly denied Khan’s accusations.

A special court was formed on Aug. 21 under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, to adjudicate the case through in-camera proceedings. Khan and Qureshi were indicted in the case last month.

Last week, the Pakistan government also approved Khan’s jail trial in a separate case of a £190 million settlement with a property tycoon.

Khan is currently being held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail where he is serving a three-year jail sentence.


Ex-PM Khan’s party says facing crackdown in stronghold province ahead of Pakistan elections

Updated 28 November 2023
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Ex-PM Khan’s party says facing crackdown in stronghold province ahead of Pakistan elections

  • Police confirm clashes with PTI ahead of political convention last week, cases filed against hundreds of supporters
  • Caretaker government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province says “no ban on any political party to hold rallies”

DIR LOWER: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan has said it is facing a crackdown in its stronghold province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ahead of general elections scheduled in February, with police confirming clashes at a recent political convention and the subsequent arrests of dozens of PTI supporters.

The party says the crackdown in the northwestern province is part of a wider clampdown that began after May 9, when Khan supporters took to the streets in nationwide protests, ransacking military installations and government and private properties following the ex-PM’s brief arrest by an anti-corruption agency. Pakistan’s army and the then government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif responded fiercely, accusing Khan’s supporters of terrorism and vowing to punish the alleged perpetrators, including through trials in army courts. 

Thousands of PTI supporters, including top party leaders, were subsequently arrested and many remain in jail. A legion of senior PTI leaders also abruptly announced they were quitting the party or leaving politics, which they were widely believed to have done under pressure from the military establishment, which denies interfering in politics.

Khan himself has been embroiled in a tangle of political and legal battles since he was ousted as prime minister in April last year in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence. He has not been seen in public since he was jailed for three years in August for not declaring assets earned from the sale of state gifts during his tenure in office from 2018 to 2022.

Khan says the cases are politically motivated and part of a larger plan to keep him and the PTI out of elections. As things stands, Khan, as a convict, is barred from contesting any elections under Pakistani law.

But the PTI, like other political parties, has started election activities though it alleges it is being kept from holding corner meetings and political conventions, especially in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the party ruled from 2013-23.

On November 25, a clash was reported between police and PTI supporters on their way to attend a workers convention in Wari, a union council in Upper Dir.

“PTI supporters were adamant to attend the workers convention and the police were not allowing them, which resulted in the clash,” General Secretary of the PTI in Upper Dir, Imran Saeed, told Arab News, adding that policemen were stationed at checkpoints across Dir Upper and Dir Lower to stop people from reaching the venue of the convention in the village of a former member of the national assembly, Sahibzada Sibghat Ullah.

Saeed said two PTI members were injured in the clash and dozens were arrested by the police.

Waqar Ahmed Khan, the district police office in Dir Upper, confirmed the arrests and clashes and said a police case had been filed against 188 people for violating a ban on public gatherings imposed this month under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure CrPC, which empowers district administrations to issue orders in the public interest that may place a ban on an activity for a specific period of time. Such a ban is enforced by the police who register cases under section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code for violations of the ban.

The district police officer said 74 people had been arrested and nine police reports filed, while three civilians and three policemen were injured in the clashes. Among those charged in the police reports are former MPA Fazal Hakeem from Swat, former MPA Liaqat Ali Khan from Dir Lower, former MNA Gul Zafar Khan from Bajaur, Khan’s lawyer Muhammad Afzal Marwat and former MNA Junaid Akbar from Malakand.

In Swat, another district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said 36 people had been arrested and cases had been filed against more than 2,400 people for violating Section 144 on Nov. 26.

“NOT A GOOD THING FOR DEMOCRACY“

While the PTI says its political activities are being disrupted and its supporters intimidated through arrests, other political parties have been campaigning freely in the province.
 
The Pakistan Peoples Party held a workers’ convention and the party’s chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, addressed a large public gathering in Dir Upper on Nov. 21. The Pakistan Tehreek Insaf Parliamentarian party organized a rally in Lower Dir on Nov. 24 while the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F held a rally in Peshawar, the provincial capital, on Nov. 17.

Irfan Saleem, the Deputy Secretary of Information PTI-KP, said it was “unfair” that his party’s political activities were being blocked under the “pretext” of Section 144 while other political parties were free to carry on with their campaigns.

“Leaders and workers from the PTI were arrested in Dir Upper, Lower Dir and in Swat on the pretext of violating Section 144,” he told Arab News. “We want free and fair elections and that the voice of the public is heard.”

“We will use the rights given to us by the constitution and we will conduct peaceful rallies,” he added.

Feroz Jamal Kakakhel, the caretaker Information Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied that the PTI was being blocked from campaigning, saying Section 144 had been imposed in view of rising militant attacks in the province in recent months.

“There is no ban on any political party to hold political rallies,” he said. “There is a law-and-order situation in the province and the district administration has imposed section 144 in the larger public interest.”

But independent political analysts warned about the legitimacy of an election in which the PTI was not allowed a “level playing field” and fair competition.

 “To stop only one political party from conducting political rallies is not a good thing for democracy,” analyst and journalist Tariq Waheen said, “and will have bad consequences for the upcoming polls.”