ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to Jordan from June 10-11 to participate in a conference on the ongoing war in Gaza, the foreign office said on Monday.
Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, launched after Hamas attacked Isarel last October, has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry, and reduced the enclave to a wasteland.
A proposed Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal hangs in the balance as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to the Middle East today, Monday, on his eighth diplomatic mission to the region to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo, before traveling to Israel, Jordan and Qatar.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar will undertake a two-day visit to Jordan on June 10-11 to participate in the high-level conference ‘Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza’,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The conference has been jointly organized by Jordanian King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The moot aims to identify and develop a “collective response to the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza,” the statement said, adding the Pakistan’s participation underscored its continued commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East and its longstanding support for the Palestinian cause.
“On the sidelines, the deputy prime minister is likely to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from participating countries,” the foreign ministry added.
Deputy Pakistan PM Dar to attend Gaza moot in Jordan this week
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Deputy Pakistan PM Dar to attend Gaza moot in Jordan this week
- Gaza conference jointly organized by King Abdullah II, Egypt’s President El-Sisi, United Nations chief
- Muslim leaders aim to identify and develop collective response to “dire humanitarian situation“
Pakistan spin out Australia in second T20I to take series
- Salman Agha’s 76 and Usman Khan’s 53 lift Pakistan to 198-5, their highest T20I total against Australia
- Pakistan’s spinners take all 10 wickets as Australia are bowled out for 108, sealing an unbeatable 2-0 series lead
LAHORE: Skipper Salman Agha hit his highest score in the shortest format before Pakistan’s spinners routed Australia by 90 runs in the second Twenty20 international in Lahore on Saturday.
Agha hit a 40-ball 76 and Usman Khan smashed a 36-ball 53 as Pakistan made 198-5, their highest-ever T20I total against Australia.
This was enough for Pakistan’s spin quintet who shared all ten wickets between them with Abrar Ahmed returning the best figures of 3-14 and Shadab Khan finishing with 3-26.
Australia were routed for 108 in 15.4 overs, giving Pakistan their biggest T20I victory over Australia eclipsing the 66-run win in Abu Dhabi in 2018.
“It has to be a perfect game,” said Agha. “We batted well and then were outstanding with the ball. Fielding was outstanding.”
The victory gives Pakistan an unbeatable 2-0 lead after they won the first match by 22 runs, also in Lahore, on Friday.
“We want to play in the same way, forget the 2-0 scoreline and come again with the same intensity and go to the World Cup with the same energy,” said Agha of the event starting in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.
This is Pakistan’s first T20I series win over Australia since 2018. The final match is on Sunday, also in Lahore.
Despite skipper Mitchell Marsh coming back after resting on Friday, the visiting batters had little answer to Pakistan’s spin assault.
Ahmed dismissed Marsh for 18, Josh Inglis for five and Matthew Short for 27.
Cameroon Green top scored with a 20-ball 35 before spinner Usman Tariq dismissed him on his way to figures of 2-16.
Marsh admitted Pakistan were better.
“Pakistan outplayed us,” said Marsh. “Hopefully, we can improve and come back tomorrow. They put us under great pressure in batting; it was probably a 160-170 wicket so they scored a big total.”
Earlier, Agha and Usman led Pakistan to a fighting total after they won the toss and batted.
Agha built the innings with Saim Ayub (11-ball 23) during a second wicket stand of 55 as Pakistan scored 72 runs in the power-paly.
Agha’s previous highest in all T20 cricket was 68 not out.
After Babar Azam failed with a five-ball two, Usman helped Agha add another quickfire 49 for the fourth wicket before Sean Abbott broke the stand.
Agha smashed four sixes and eight fours in his sixth Twenty20 half century.
Pakistan added a good 61 runs in the last five overs with Usman knocking two sixes and four fours in his second T20I half century while Shadab’s knock had two sixes and a four.
The Usman-Shadab fifth-wicket stand yielded 63 runs off just 39 balls.
Shadab finished with an unbeaten 20-ball 28.
Pacer Xavier Bartlett and spinner Matthew Kuhnemann were expensive, conceding 92 runs between them in their eight overs.
