ISLAMABAD: Pakistan street football team on Friday lost the semifinal of Norway Cup to Club Forde 3-4, bowing out of this year’s tournament.
The match between Pakistan and the Norwegian club ended in a 1-1 draw, after going into extra time. Mohammad Adeel scored the equalizer goal for Pakistan in the second half.
The game was ultimately decided on penalty shootouts, wherein Club Forde edged Pakistan out.
“Despite the loss, the team showcased remarkable resilience and skill,” Muslim Hands Pakistan, a non-government organization that has sponsored Pakistani street footballers, said in a statement on Saturday.
Pakistan were eager to lift the title this time after having finished as runners-up in the last edition. Their loss to Club Forde reminded of last year’s final where the Green Shirts also faced a heartbreaking defeat in penalty shootouts.
The Pakistan team will now compete for the third position against Norway’s Sutra Club today, Saturday.
In 2022, Pakistan finished runners-up in the Street Child World Cup in Qatar. They were also the runners-up in the previous edition in Russia in 2018 and finished third in the 2014 edition in Brazil.
Pakistan out of Norway Cup title race after losing semifinal to Club Forde
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Pakistan out of Norway Cup title race after losing semifinal to Club Forde
- The match between Pakistan side and Norway’s Club Forde ended in a 1-1 draw, after going into extra time
- The game was ultimately decided on penalty shootouts, wherein the Norwegian club edged Pakistan out 4-3
Pakistan invites investors, innovators to back tech partnerships, announces national AI event
- Indus AI Week 2026 to run Feb. 9–15 as IT minister cites inclusive AI policy launched last year
- The week-long event will bring together relevant officials, startups, investors and universities
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday invited foreign investors and technology innovators to engage with its emerging artificial intelligence ecosystem as the government announced a week-long national AI initiative aimed at accelerating adoption across the public and private sectors.
Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government would host Indus AI Week 2026 from Feb. 9 to 15, building on Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence Policy introduced last year to promote responsible use of the technology.
The announcement comes as Pakistan seeks to position itself as a credible participant in the global AI economy, amid growing interest from governments in the Global South to harness AI for productivity, skills development and innovation while managing regulatory and ethical risks.
“With the introduction of Pakistan’s National AI Policy last year, we laid the foundation for responsible and inclusive AI development,” Khawaja said, according to an official statement circulated by her ministry. “Indus AI Week reflects our determination to take that work further by moving beyond dialogue and toward adoption.”
“We invite international partners, investors and innovators to engage with Pakistan’s growing AI landscape,” she added.
The initiative will be organized by the IT ministry through a public-private partnership and is designed as an open national platform bringing together policymakers, technology firms, startups, universities, students and the wider public.
The program will include a national technology showcase, startup and innovation sessions linking founders with investors, skills training and certification opportunities and public engagement activities aimed at translating AI policy into practical use cases.
The week will open with the Indus AI Summit at Islamabad’s Jinnah Convention Center on Feb. 9, followed by an innovation and learning arena at the Islamabad Sports Complex on Feb. 9-10, with universities, companies and public institutions across the country hosting parallel events through Feb. 15.
