Pakistan

.

Pakistan will stick to their strategy of relying on all-rounders rather than specialists in T20 cricket going into the tri-series — also involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe — which starts in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. The opener at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium — which will host the entirety of the tournament — will be played between the hosts and Zimbabwe, and Pakistan will look up to their all-rounders to make a difference again. The strategy, which has emerged as a blueprint of Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson since was appointed in May this year, has come under heavy criticism due to its nature of ignoring the importance of specialist batters and bowlers. But for Pakistan T20 captain Salman Ali Agha, it is the go-to approach given what he believes is a “luxury” to have good enough all-rounders to deliver with both bat and ball. “As you may have seen, we try to go for all-rounders mostly, and thankfully we have some who bowl and bat equally well,” he said in the pre-series press conference at the ven...

.

.

Introduces strict parking bans, snow-clearing vehicles, facilitation centres & real-time monitoring

PC-I of Rs3 billion project at Fawara Chowk awaits Punjab's approval

.

A visit by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler to the White House for talks on Tuesday with United States President Donald Trump aims to deepen decades-old cooperation on oil and security while broadening ties in commerce, technology and potentially even nuclear energy. It will be the first trip by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the US since the 2018 killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, which caused a global uproar. US intelligence concluded that MBS approved the capture or killing of Khashoggi, a prominent critic. The crown prince, widely known by his initials MBS, denied ordering the operation but acknowledged responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler. More than seven years later, the world’s largest economy and the world’s top oil producer want to move forward. Trump is seeking to cash in on a $600 billion Saudi investment pledge made during Trump’s visit to the kingdom in May. He steered clear of mentioning human rights concerns during that trip and is expected to do so...

Indian army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday issued a pointed warning to Pakistan, comparing the brief May conflict to a “trailer” rather than a full-length film. The Indian army chief’s remarks come a week after an explosion near the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 10, leaving 12 people dead in the first such explosion in the Indian capital since 2011. Delivering a speech at a defence conference in New Delhi, Gen Dwivedi said, “I’d like to say that the movie hasn’t even started — only a trailer was shown, and, after the trailer, it was over within 88 hours.“ “So, we’re fully prepared for the future, and if Pakistan gives us such an opportunity, we’d like to provide them with a thorough education on how a responsible nation should behave with its neighbours.“ The conflict between the two countries in May was sparked by an attack on tourists in India-occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi, without evidence, linked to Pakistan. Islamabad strongly denied responsibility while calling for a neutral investigati...

One woman was killed and another was injured in a road accident on Karachi’s Super Highway on Monday, according to a statement from the Edhi Foundation. The statement read that a 22-year-old woman was killed in the accident on the Damba Goth bridge, while the injured 37-year-old was moved to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment. Gadap City Station House Officer (SHO) Sarfraz Jatoi told Dawn that the victims were riding a scooter when a speeding car hit them. “They sustained critical injuries and were transported to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced Sumaira Hakim, 32, as dead on arrival, while Rabia Naz Shahid Ali, 37, was admitted for treatment,” the SHO said. He added that both victims were schoolteachers on their way to work when the incident occurred at around 9am. The SHO further said that the suspected driver had been apprehended and his vehicle was impounded by police. Traffic accidents are very common in Karachi. In the early hours of Saturday, a trailer hit an unidentified pedestrian,...

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday said that Pakistan had become “extremely relevant” on the global stage after its performance during the military conflict against India in May. The conflict between the two countries in May this year was sparked by an attack on tourists in India-occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi, without evidence, linked to Pakistan. Islamabad strongly denied responsibility while calling for a neutral investigation. New Delhi then launched deadly air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir on May 7. After tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases during the four-day escalation, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally reach a ceasefire. Both governments launched diplomatic blitzes after the conflict to take their stance on the ordeal to other countries. Elaborating on Pakistan’s image and standing in the world in the conflict’s aftermath while speaking at a function, the information minister said, “In a very short span of time, we have become extremely rele...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that the digitisation of Pakistan Railways and the provision of modern facilities would play a key role in strengthening the national economy. He added that the federal government, in collaboration with the Sindh government, would modernise the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and upgrade all railway stations across the province and the country. The premier expressed these views while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the new Shalimar Express and the newly upgraded waiting areas and lounges at Karachi Cantt Railway Station during his visit to Karachi. The prime minister visited the upgraded waiting area, CIP lounge, dining hall and computerised ticketing system, accompanied by federal ministers, senior railway officials and the railways police chief. The ceremony was also attended by foreign diplomats and Parliament members, senior officers from the federal as well as provincial governments. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi, I...

A no-confidence motion against Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq succeeded on Monday with 36 votes in favour and two against. Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar announced PPP’s Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore as the new AJK premier. Rathore is the 16th prime minister elected in AJK since 1975, when the parliamentary form of government was introduced in the region. Rathore is currently the PPP AJK chapter’s general secretary and is considered a trusted confidant of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. A senior figure in PPP’s AJK chapter, Rathore has long been associated with the region’s politics. Born on April 11, 1978, in Rawalpindi, he is the son of the late Raja Mumtaz Hussain Rathore, a former AJK prime minister who also served as senior minister, leader of the opposition and speaker of the Legislative Assembly at various stages of his political career. His mother, Begum Farhat Rathore, belonged to a migrant family from Indian-occupied Kashmir; she was a member of the state legisla...

Four newly designated envoys to Pakistan, on Monday, presented their credentials to President Asif Ali Zardari in a ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the revamped Shalimar Express following its complete refurbishment and praised the extensive upgrades made to Karachi’s historic Cantt Station.

Faisal Mumtaz Rathore has been elected the new Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir after a decisive no-confidence motion was approved in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

A fatal accident involving a bus filled with Indian pilgrims killed at least 45 people near Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Madina, Indian police said on Monday, one of the deadliest crashes in the Gulf kingdom in years. “The tragic bus accident involving Indian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia is deeply distressing,” VC Sajjanar, police commissioner for the city of Hyderabad, where many of the Indian citizens were reported to have come from, told reporters. “According to preliminary information, 46 people were travelling in the bus at the time of the incident, and heartbreakingly, only one person survived,” he said. Saudi officials have not provided a toll for the crash. Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences in a post on social media, saying the Indian embassy was working with Saudi officials on the ground. “Deeply saddened by the accident in Medina involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones,” the prime minister wrote on X. “I pray for t...

A smile lit up Shaheen Shah Afridi’s face as he mentioned Pakistan’s victory against India at the Rising Stars Asia Cup. Addressing the post-match ceremony after his side completed a series sweep against Sri Lanka on Sunday, Pakistan’s One-day International captain hailed a good day for cricket in the country. “We’ve now won two consecutive [ODI] series,” said Shaheen, referring to the team’s victory against South Africa a week earlier, after Pakistan eased to a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI in Rawalpindi. “Today Pakistan Shaheen also won, and more importantly they against our neighbours … it makes you happy that all the youngsters performed,” he added when asked to comment on Pakistan Shaheens’ eight-wicket thrashing of India ‘A’ in Qatar. “Here [in Pindi] as well, everyone chipped in across the three matches, everyone played their best cricket which is why we won.” Pakistan’s bowlers set up the victory for the hosts after they shot down Sri Lanka for 211 before Mohammad Rizwan...

Three Motorway Police officers were martyred on Monday when a speeding passenger bus rammed into a patrolling vehicle on the M-5 Motorway near Uch Sharif.

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has said that an MQM-backed amendment on the local government system will be tabled and passed in the coming months, adding that no political bargaining took place during the approval of the 27th Constitutional Amendment.