You are here

  • Home
  • Multan Sultans end PSL home leg with comfortable win over Quetta Gladiators

Multan Sultans end PSL home leg with comfortable win over Quetta Gladiators

Special Multan Sultans end PSL home leg with comfortable win over Quetta Gladiators
1 / 2
Multan Sultans’ David Willey, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Quetta Gladiators’ Saud Shakeel during the Pakistan Super League T20 cricket match between Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators, in Multan, Pakistan on February 25, 2024. (AP)
Special Multan Sultans end PSL home leg with comfortable win over Quetta Gladiators
2 / 2
Quetta Gladiators' players celebrate the wicket Islamabad United's Agha Salman during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Twenty20 cricket match between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore on February 22, 2024. (AFP/file)
Short Url

https://arab.news/wmt4m

Updated 25 February 2024
Follow

Multan Sultans end PSL home leg with comfortable win over Quetta Gladiators

Multan Sultans end PSL home leg with comfortable win over Quetta Gladiators
  • After posting 180-4 in first innings, the Mohammad Rizwan-led side restricted Quetta Gladiators to 167-9
  • Reeza Hendricks’ 72 and three-wicket hauls by Mohammad Ali, David Willey guided Multan to their fourth win
Updated 25 February 2024
Shahjahan Khurram
Follow

ISLAMABAD: Multan Sultans defeated Quetta Gladiators by 13 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Sunday, finishing their home leg of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 9th edition on a high. 
Quetta Gladiators won the toss and elected to field first. Usman Khan, playing his first game of PSL-9, started the innings with three boundaries in the first over.
After posting 180-4 in the first innings, the Mohammad Rizwan-led side restricted Quetta Gladiators to 167-9, courtesy of three-wicket hauls by Mohammad Ali and David Willey.
“Multan win once again at the Sultans Fort,” read a post on PSL’s official account on X. “Gladiators’ unbeaten run ends with Sultans emerging triumphant by 13 runs.”
Reeza Hendricks top-scored with 72 runs from 47 deliveries, followed by Rizwan’s 52 off 42 balls. Tayyab Tahir hit 35 not out from 22 deliveries.
Mohammad Amir took two wickets by conceding 46 runs, while Akeal Hosein and Abrar Ahmed dismissed once each.
In their 181-run chase for victory, Quetta could only reach 167 in 20 overs, with Khawaja Nafay hitting the highest 36 from 31 balls.
Mohammad Ali and David Willey took three wickets each, while Aftab Ibrahim returned 2/26 figures.
This was Multan Sultans’ fourth win from their five matches in the home city of Multan. It also ended Gladiators unbeaten run in the four matches played this season.

Topics: PSL 2024 Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators

Pakistan warns Pashtun rights group against stoking ethnic division as clashes kill 3

Pakistan warns Pashtun rights group against stoking ethnic division as clashes kill 3
Updated 09 October 2024
Follow

Pakistan warns Pashtun rights group against stoking ethnic division as clashes kill 3

Pakistan warns Pashtun rights group against stoking ethnic division as clashes kill 3
  • Pashtun Tahafuz Movement organizes protest in northwestern Jamrud town against government’s ban on group 
  • PTM is a fierce critic of the powerful military, accusing it of abusing Pashtuns’ rights in northwestern Pakistan
Updated 09 October 2024
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned a prominent Pashtun rights group against stoking ethnic division in the country on Wednesday, as protests in the country’s northwestern province claimed the lives of three people. 

At least three protesters were killed on Wednesday afternoon as clashes erupted between Pakistani police and supporters of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in the northwestern town of Jamrud near Peshawar city.

The clashes erupted during protests by the PTM against a ban placed on the group by Pakistan’s interior ministry on Sunday. The ministry said it had banned the PTM, alleging that the group was found to be involved in activities prejudicial to the peace and security of the country. 

The PTM alleges Pashtuns have faced rights abuses during Pakistan’s war against militants, mainly in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It blames Pakistan’s powerful military for rights abuses in the northwestern province, a charge the institution has consistently denied.

“The main reason for banning them two days ago was that you, on the one hand, are abusing your state institutions and police. You are promoting ethnic discrimination and talking to the nation about division,” Naqvi said at a press conference. 

The minister pointed out that as per Pakistani law, if an organization is declared a proscribed entity its offices are sealed, bank accounts closed, arms licenses, passports, and identity cards are canceled and restrictions are placed on it regarding its media interactions and travel.

“Anyone who helps them [PTM] or facilitates them will face the same restrictions,” Naqvi warned. 

The PTM plans to hold a tribal jirga or tribal council gathering of thousands of people from Oct. 11-13 in defiance of the state’s ban in Jamrud. Naqvi warned the Pashtun rights group against holding the event, saying that the government would share important details of the PTM’s funding in the upcoming days. 

“On the one hand you are calling it a jirga and then also calling it a court,” he said. “This is the decision of Pakistan’s government that we cannot allow any parallel judicial system in the country.”

Formed by veterinary sciences student Manzoor Pashteen in 2014, the PTM was a pressure group that shot to national prominence when they spearheaded protests against the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a young garment trader and aspiring model shot dead by police in Karachi in 2018.

In the 2018 election, PTM leaders Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir were elected to parliament from Pakistan’s restive North and South Waziristan districts, respectively.

The PTM says it has faced harassment, intimidation and censorship at the hands of Pakistan’s powerful military, which has ruled the country directly for over 30 years since it gained independence in 1947.

The military denies the PTM’s accusations and has often accused it of being funded by foreign intelligence agencies, notably Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) and India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). The PTM denies these allegations. 

Topics: Pashtun Tahafuz Movement

Pakistan ruling coalition ally prepares new draft of controversial constitutional amendments

Pakistan ruling coalition ally prepares new draft of controversial constitutional amendments
Updated 09 October 2024
Follow

Pakistan ruling coalition ally prepares new draft of controversial constitutional amendments

Pakistan ruling coalition ally prepares new draft of controversial constitutional amendments
  • Sharif-led ruling coalition did not table amendments in parliament last month after failing to secure two-thirds majority
  • Pakistan’s legal fraternity, opposition say amendments aim to increase government’s influence in judicial appointments
Updated 09 October 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a key ally of the ruling coalition government, has prepared a new draft of the controversial constitutional amendments on judicial reforms and lawmakers’ defection, a member of the party confirmed on Wednesday, saying that it wanted to develop a “wider consensus” among political stakeholders and the civil society before tabling it in parliament. 
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government failed in its bid to table the constitutional amendments in parliament last month, admitting it did not have the required two-thirds majority for its approval. 
The proposed amendments, expected to establish a federal constitutional court, raise the retirement age of superior judges by three years, and modify the process for the appointment of chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, have been rejected by opposition parties and the country’s legal fraternity, who say they are aimed at curtailing the judiciary’s independence. The government denies the allegations. 
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party protested against the proposed constitutional amendments in Islamabad last week. The three-day protests triggered clashes between Islamabad Police and the PTI, causing the death of one constable and injury to 31 other cops, police said. 
“Obviously a new draft has been prepared for consultations but nothing is final at this stage,” PPP lawmaker Sehar Kamran told Arab News. 
“We have been contacting all political parties and civil society organizations to develop a wider consensus on the amendments.”
The PPP is leading the campaign to build consensus among political parties and civil society on the amendments. The party has shared a draft of the proposed amendments with the Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan Fazl (JUI-F) religious party. The JUI-F, however, has not given its assent to the PPP’s draft. 
“There is no deadline for it but we are hopeful to complete the consultation process as quickly as possible,” Kamran said. 
The party’s senior leadership met Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) on Wednesday to secure his support for the proposed draft. 
Mehboob said the PPP did not share its draft of the amendments but told him that they have removed “controversial articles” from the previous 54-point draft that was rejected by opposition and prominent lawyers.
“The delegation gave an impression as if they are prepared to push through the amendments before Oct. 25,” Mehboob told Arab News. 
Pakistan’s incumbent Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa is set to retire on Oct. 25. The opposition PTI party led by Khan has accused the government of using the amendments to secure an extension in Isa’s tenure. 
The PTI alleges that the judge is biased in favor of its chief rival, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. The judge and the government both reject the allegations. 
“The government may elevate him to the constitutional court or extend his tenure as the chief justice,” Mehboob said. 
The PILDAT president said he had raised questions with the PPP leadership over some “controversial” points in the amendments, such as the extension in the tenure of the chief election commissioner and four other members of Pakistan’s election oversight body.
The PML-N did not respond to Arab News’ repeated calls to the party’s spokespersons and their leaders for comments. 
Meanwhile, the JUI-F said it has prepared its draft of constitutional amendments and will hand it over to the PPP for their perusal. 
“Our draft is neither time-bound nor person-specific,” the JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri told Arab News.
“As a political party, we have become part of the consultations and there is no guarantee at this point that we will vote or oppose the treasury benches’ draft.”

Topics: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)

Pakistan’s Punjab approves ‘largest’ mass marriage program for 3,000 underprivileged women

Pakistan’s Punjab approves ‘largest’ mass marriage program for 3,000 underprivileged women
Updated 09 October 2024
Follow

Pakistan’s Punjab approves ‘largest’ mass marriage program for 3,000 underprivileged women

Pakistan’s Punjab approves ‘largest’ mass marriage program for 3,000 underprivileged women
  • Punjab to provide $350 cash, wedding clothes, furniture, dinner sets and household items to underprivileged girls
  • Marriages are a costly affair in crisis-ridden Pakistan, where lavish feasts and expensive clothes often drain lifetime savings
Updated 09 October 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

KARACHI: The government in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province has approved its largest mass marriage program for 3,000 underprivileged girls, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported this week. 

Marriages are often a costly and extravagant affair in Pakistan, placing a significant financial burden on families, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds. The traditional South Asian wedding festivities include costly ceremonies, lavish food, and ornate decorations. 

This financial burden has taken a toll on many Pakistanis as the country suffers a prolonged economic crisis characterized by soaring inflation and inflated power bills. As per local customs, the bride’s male relatives are also often expected to pay dowry to the groom’s family, with the costly condition often delaying marriages in the country. 

“The Punjab Cabinet has approved the province’s largest historical mass marriage program,” Radio Pakistan said on Tuesday. “During the meeting, the cabinet approved a project to arrange mass marriages for 3,000 underprivileged girls across Punjab.”

Under the mass marriage program, each bride will receive around $350 cash (Rs100,000) along with furniture, clothing, dinner sets and 13 essential household items, the state broadcaster said. 

Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif also directed authorities to prepare a plan for the expansion of the mass marriage program. However, government officials have not yet relayed details about the process through which girls will be deemed eligible for the program.

Mass marriages for low-income communities have been held previously in Pakistan. The practice enables often more than 100 couples to marry in a single ceremony, significantly reducing costs. They are held regularly across Pakistan, supported by government initiatives, philanthropic efforts, and community programs. 

Earlier in January, 122 Hindu couples were married in a mass ceremony hosted by the Pakistan Hindu Council in the country’s southern port city of Karachi. 

Topics: Mass marriages mass-wedding ceremony wedding

One soldier, two militants killed during gunbattle in southwestern Pakistan— military 

One soldier, two militants killed during gunbattle in southwestern Pakistan— military 
Updated 09 October 2024
Follow

One soldier, two militants killed during gunbattle in southwestern Pakistan— military 

One soldier, two militants killed during gunbattle in southwestern Pakistan— military 
  • Militants attacked Frontier Corps checkpost in Zhob district during wee hours of Wednesday, army says 
  • Slain militants include “high-value terrorist” Umar and a suicide bomber, says army’s media wing 
Updated 09 October 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Army soldier and two “terrorists” were killed in the southwestern Balochistan province on Wednesday after militants attacked a security checkpost in the area, the army’s media wing said. 

The gunbattle took place during the wee hours of Wednesday when “a group of terrorists” attacked a Frontier Corps checkpost in Zhob district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. 

It said the militants’ attempt to infiltrate the FC camp was thwarted by security forces, adding that a suicide bomber and a high-value militant named Umar were killed during the exchange of fire. Umar was involved in attacks on security forces and civilians, including a recent assault on the convoy of the deputy commissioner of Sherani district, the army said. 

“However, during intense exchange of fire, Havildar Jamsher Khan (age: 39 years; resident of: Dera Bugti District), having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat,” the army’s media wing said. 

Security forces have launched a sanitization operation to “neutralize any other terrorist” present in the area, the ISPR said. 

“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan, and such sacrifices of our brave men further strengthen our resolve,” it said. 

Balochistan, which shares a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan, has witnessed a decades-long insurgency launched by ethnic Baloch separatists who have accused successive governments of unfairly exploiting the mineral-rich province of its resources, a claim denied by the state. 

Separatist militants carried out a series of coordinated attacks in Balochistan in August, mostly claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, that killed more than 50 people and which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders had said sought to harm Chinese-funded investment and development projects in the province. 

Separately, the ISPR said security forces killed two militants in a security operation in the northwestern district of Mir Ali on Wednesday. 

It said weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the slain militants, who remained actively involved in numerous “terrorist activities” against security forces and the target killing of civilians.

Topics: Zohb Militants attack

3 protesters killed in clashes with police after Pakistan banned Pashtun rights group

3 protesters killed in clashes with police after Pakistan banned Pashtun rights group
Updated 09 October 2024
AP
Follow

3 protesters killed in clashes with police after Pakistan banned Pashtun rights group

3 protesters killed in clashes with police after Pakistan banned Pashtun rights group
  • Hundreds of protesters gathered in Jamrud town near Peshawar to protest government’s ban on Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
  • PTM accuses Pakistani military and local police of abuses against Pashtuns in its war against militants in the country 
Updated 09 October 2024
AP

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: At least three people were killed in clashes Wednesday between Pakistani police and supporters of a rights group advocating for the Pashtun ethnic minority, angered by a government ban imposed on the organization this week, local officials said.

Officers fired tear gas and swung batons to disperse hundreds of protesters who had gathered in the town of Jamrud, near the city of Peshawar to denounce the ban. Roohul Ameen, a doctor at a main local hospital said they received three bodies brought in following the clashes and about a dozen injured protesters.

Footage on social media showed police firing in the air, unleashing tear gas and wielding batons among the crowd, which responded by throwing stones at the officers.

The violence came after the government on Monday banned the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement or Pashtun Protection Movement, saying it supports the Pakistani Taliban, an outlawed militant group.

It also banned rallies by the group in the restive northwest, allegedly because the demonstrations are against the interests of Pakistan. The Pashtun Protection Movement denies backing the Pakistani Taliban.

The group was founded in 2014, after its leaders accused the Pakistani military and local police of abuses against the Pashtuns in their war against militants.

The group also says Pakistani security forces have been illegally detaining its members. The military and the government have denied all the allegations, saying their operations only target insurgents.

The group has since been waging a campaign to force the military to leave the former tribal regions in the northwest that border Afghanistan. Ethnic Pashtuns live mainly in eastern and southern Afghanistan but also all across Pakistan, in particular in parts along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The Pakistani Taliban are a militant group that is separate but also a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. They have stepped up attacks in recent years mainly targeting Pakistani security forces but hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the crossfire.

Manzoor Pashteen, who heads the Pashtun Protection Movement, said the group does not accept the government ban and was determined to hold a peaceful meeting of elders on Friday in the town of Regi, a former militant stronghold in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Amnesty International on Wednesday also asked Pakistan’s government to revoke the ban on the Pashtun group.

The “latest arbitrary ban under over-broad powers of the terror law is only the tip of the iceberg,” said Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for South Asia, accusing the authorities of “resorting to unlawful use of force, enforced disappearances, and media bans on the coverage of protests or rallies.”

Topics: Pakistan police Pashtun Tahafuz Movement

Latest updates

Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to Women's T20 World Cup semifinals
Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to Women's T20 World Cup semifinals
Israeli defense minister warns an attack on Iran would be ‘lethal’ and ‘surprising’
Israeli defense minister warns an attack on Iran would be ‘lethal’ and ‘surprising’
79 million girls, women assaulted in sub-Saharan Africa: UNICEF
79 million girls, women assaulted in sub-Saharan Africa: UNICEF
Injuries plague South American World Cup qualifying even though Messi is set to return
Injuries plague South American World Cup qualifying even though Messi is set to return
Israel carries out airstrikes on sites in Syria, state TV says
Israel carries out airstrikes on sites in Syria, state TV says

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.