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Journeyman Sikandar Raza blasts Lahore Qalandars to Pakistan Super League title

Journeyman Sikandar Raza blasts Lahore Qalandars to Pakistan Super League title
Lahore Qalandars’ Sikandar Raza celebrates after winning the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 final cricket match against Quetta Gladiators, in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 25, 2025. (AP)
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Updated 25 May 2025
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Journeyman Sikandar Raza blasts Lahore Qalandars to Pakistan Super League title

Journeyman Sikandar Raza blasts Lahore Qalandars to Pakistan Super League title
  • Needing 13 in last over to complete 202-run chase set by Quetta, Raza completed task during his seven-ball 22 not out 
  • Sri Lankan Kusal Perera led the chase with an undefeated 31-ball 62 studded with five boundaries and four sixes
Updated 25 May 2025
AFP
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LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars won the Pakistan Super League with a six-wicket win against Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, with Sikandar Raza hitting the winning runs after only landing back in Lahore minutes prior to the start of the final.

The 39-year old Zimbabwean landed in Lahore just ten minutes before the toss, after scoring a half century in his country’s innings defeat in the Nottingham Test against England a day before.

Needing 13 in the last over to complete a 202-run chase set by Quetta, Raza completed the task during his seven-ball 22 not out with two sixes and as many boundaries.

He hit a maximum and a four in the last over to seal the victory with one ball remaining.

Sri Lankan Kusal Perera led the chase with an undefeated 31-ball 62 studded with five boundaries and four sixes, adding 59 runs during the unbroken fifth wicket stand.

Opener Mohammad Naeem scored 46, with half a dozen sixes and one boundary, and Abdullah Shafique hit 41 to set Lahore on course for the highest-ever chase in a PSL final.

Lahore sealed their third title following triumphs in 2022 and 2023.

Raza said it was unbelievable to reach Lahore and achieve success.

“It is unbelievable, batted for 40-odd overs in the Test, flew to Dubai where I had breakfast and then lunch in Abu Dhabi and arrived minutes from the toss, so it’s incredible,” he said.

Hasan Nawaz scored a brilliant 76 to lift Quetta to 201-9 after they won the toss and batted.

Coming in at 21-2, Nawaz added 67 for the fourth wicket with Avishka Fernando (29) and another 46 with Dinesh Chandimal (22) to steady the ship.

Lahore skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi was the pick of Lahore’s bowlers with 3-24.

It was Faheem Ashraf (28) who lifted Quetta past 200, taking 23 off the last Salman Mirza over.

The six-team PSL was suspended on May 9 following the conflict between Pakistan and India.

However, the league resumed on May 17 after a ceasefire between the two countries.

Topics: Pakistan Super League 2025 PSL Final Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars

At SCO summit, Pakistan slams Israel for using ‘aggression as tool of policy’ in Middle East

At SCO summit, Pakistan slams Israel for using ‘aggression as tool of policy’ in Middle East
Updated 7 sec ago
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At SCO summit, Pakistan slams Israel for using ‘aggression as tool of policy’ in Middle East

At SCO summit, Pakistan slams Israel for using ‘aggression as tool of policy’ in Middle East
  • The bloc is seen by some Western analysts as regional grouping by Beijing, Moscow to counter United States influence in Asia
  • Pakistan FM Ishaq Dar says Israeli military actions against SCO members are ‘unacceptable,’ demands immediate end to Gaza war
Updated 7 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, on Tuesday criticized Israel for using “aggression as a tool of policy” in the Middle East, condemning Israeli military actions against regional states and demanding an end to its 20-month war on Gaza.

Dar said this while addressing a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), which came in the backdrop of heightened tensions in South Asia and the Middle East, particularly after the Pakistan-India conflict and Israeli military actions against several Gulf countries.

Israel’s war on Gaza, which began after Oct. 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel, has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, over half of them women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry. On Tuesday, the UN rights office said it had recorded at least 875 killings within the past six weeks at aid points in Gaza.

Speaking at the CFM meeting, Dar said Pakistan was seriously concerned at the trends of using aggression as a tool of policy, emphasizing the resolution of disputes through peaceful means and according to the principles of international law, justice and fairness.

“Israel has shown a reckless disregard for international norms and humanity through its relentless and disproportionate use of force in Gaza resulting in the death of tens of thousands of civilians causing the worst humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” he said.

“We call for immediate halt to Israel’s atrocities.”

Dar said the only viable remedy to the Palestine dispute was the realization of the two-state solution, which includes the establishment of Palestine as a viable, secure and contiguous state on the basis of pre-1967 borders.

He also condemned the “unjustified and illegitimate aggression” by Israel against Iran and the United States (US) strikes on its nuclear facilities.

“Such illegal actions directed against SCO member states are unacceptable,” Dar said.

The 12-day war between Iran and Israel, which began on June 13 Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and military leadership, killed around 1,000 Iranians and more than two dozen Israelis.

The SCO, comprising China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Iran, Belarus and Central Asian states, is seen by some Western analysts as a regional grouping by Beijing and Moscow to counter United States influence in Asia.

The CFM meeting, a key diplomatic gathering aimed at preparing the groundwork for the upcoming SCO Leaders’ Summit later this year, was convened to review progress on multilateral cooperation and set the agenda for endorsement by heads of state.

Topics: SCO Summit

A year after maiming, Cammie the camel walks again with prosthetic limb in Pakistan

A year after maiming, Cammie the camel walks again with prosthetic limb in Pakistan
Updated 59 min 40 sec ago
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A year after maiming, Cammie the camel walks again with prosthetic limb in Pakistan

A year after maiming, Cammie the camel walks again with prosthetic limb in Pakistan
  • Cammie lost her leg after a landlord in Sanghar attacked her for straying into his field for food
  • A US-based firm built a prosthetic limb for the camel cared for by a Karachi animal shelter
Updated 59 min 40 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A year after being brutally maimed by a landlord who chopped off her leg in Sanghar district of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, Cammie the camel walked again Tuesday morning on all four legs with the help of a prosthetic limb, creating a euphoric feeling among her caregivers.

Cammie’s first steps came after a long period of intensive rehabilitation at the Karachi shelter of the CDRS Benji Project for Animal Welfare, which collaborated with a US-based prosthetics firm and received support from the provincial government to provide the young camel with a new limb.

“Today I am ecstatic,” Sarah Jahangir, director of the animal shelter, told Arab News. “I don’t have words for how happy I am seeing Cammie stand up on her prosthetic.”

“I am so proud of my team,” she continued.

Jahangir also expressed gratitude to Senator Qurat-Ul-Ain Marri and her sister, Shazia Marri, a provincial lawmaker in Sindh, for their support.

“I can’t thank both enough for rescuing Cammie, and trusting us and supporting us wholeheartedly.”

Cammie had wandered into a private field in Sanghar last year in search of food when a landlord, enraged by the intrusion, hacked off her front leg with a sharp weapon.

The incident led to public outcry that forced the state to intervene. Authorities filed an animal cruelty case against the landlord, arresting five people under Pakistan’s rarely enforced animal rights laws.

The prosthetic leg, specially designed by Virginia-based Bionic Pets, was delivered two months ago. Cammie’s medical team had waited for both her physical wound to heal and for her mental readiness before fitting the limb.

“She was a very scared, nervous little child,” said Sheema Khan, the shelter manager, who was crying on Tuesday when Cammie took her first steps with the new leg.

To help her emotionally overcome, Cammie was paired with another rescued camel, Callie, who became her emotional companion. Their friendship proved vital: on the night Callie arrived, Cammie stood up on her own for the first time in months.

However, the wounded camel couldn’t walk until the moment arrived on Tuesday morning.

“Seeing Cammie stand on her own is vindication of months of dedicated hard work,” Senator Qurat-Ul-Ain Marri told Arab News.

“When this tragic incident first occurred, my sister, the elected MNA from Sanghar, was appalled… With the help of the Sindh Government and the selfless volunteers at CDRS Benji, we resolved to bring her back on her feet, and today we have managed that. Allah has been most kind.”

Topics: camel

Pakistan monsoon death toll rises to 116 after five more killed in last 24 hours

Pakistan monsoon death toll rises to 116 after five more killed in last 24 hours
Updated 15 July 2025
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Pakistan monsoon death toll rises to 116 after five more killed in last 24 hours

Pakistan monsoon death toll rises to 116 after five more killed in last 24 hours
  • The development comes as authorities warn of more downpours, flooding over the next two days
  • At least 253 people have been injured in rain-related incidents since monsoon began in late June
Updated 15 July 2025
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: At least five more people were killed in rain-related incidents in Pakistan in the last 24 hours, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday, taking the overall monsoon death toll to 116 since late June.

In Punjab, two children died after being struck by lightning in Okara, while two others were killed in a house collapse in Bahawalnagar. A man was killed in a house collapse in Sindh’s Hyderabad. At least 253 people have been injured in rain-related incidents since monsoon began in late June.

In its latest report on Tuesday, the NDMA said monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal were penetrating into central parts of Pakistan and were likely to cause thunderstorm and heavy rains.

“Scattered to widespread thunderstorm/rain with isolated heavy falls and torrential rains at few places is expected over Bahawalpur, Multan, DG Khan, Sahiwal, Lahore, Gujranwala and Faisalabad Divisions,” it said.

“Scattered thunderstorm/rain with isolated heavy falls is expected over the upper catchments of all rivers along with Islamabad, upper Sindh, east Balochistan, Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, DI Khan, Rawalpindi and Sargodha Divisions.”

The authority said flash flooding due to hill torrents is expected in DG Khan and east Balochistan on July 15-16, while urban flooding is expected in major Punjab cities over the next two days.

The NDMA earlier directed authorities to ensure deployment of emergency teams, improve drainage systems and coordinate closely with local administration. It advised public to stay away from weak structures and electricity poles, avoid unnecessary travel and relocate vehicles and livestock to safer locations.

Monsoon season brings South Asia 70 to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, arriving in early June in India and late June in Pakistan, and lasting through until September.

The annual rains are vital for agriculture and food security, and the livelihoods of millions of farmers. But increasingly erratic and extreme weather patterns are turning the rains into a destructive force.

Pakistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, and its 240 million residents are facing extreme weather events with increasing frequency.

In 2022, unprecedented monsoon floods submerged a third of Pakistan and killed 1,700 people, with some areas yet to recover from the damage. In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms, including strong hailstorms.

Topics: monsoon

Pakistan regulator unveils gender policy to boost women’s role in corporate, finance sectors

Pakistan regulator unveils gender policy to boost women’s role in corporate, finance sectors
Updated 15 July 2025
ISMAIL DILAWAR 
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Pakistan regulator unveils gender policy to boost women’s role in corporate, finance sectors

Pakistan regulator unveils gender policy to boost women’s role in corporate, finance sectors
  • SECP releases draft Women EquiSmart Policy 2025–2028 for public consultation on its official website
  • It focuses on women’s leadership on boards, inclusive workplaces and gender-smart financial products
Updated 15 July 2025
ISMAIL DILAWAR 

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top financial regulator on Tuesday launched a draft policy aimed at tackling gender inequality in the country’s corporate and financial sectors, seeking to improve women’s representation on company boards, expand access to finance for women entrepreneurs and make workplaces more inclusive.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) published its Women EquiSmart Policy 2025–2028 for public consultation on its website, calling it the first comprehensive gender framework for regulated sectors such as capital markets, insurance and non-banking finance.

“The draft framework reflects the SECP’s strategic shift from fragmented diversity efforts to a structured, cohesive regulatory approach to gender inclusion, aligned with national priorities and global frameworks,” the regulator said in a statement.

The draft policy is built around six pillars, including women’s leadership on boards, gender-disaggregated reporting, women’s entrepreneurship, gender-smart financial products, inclusive workplace practices and institutional capacity building.

The statement said it identifies policy gaps, proposes timelines and regulatory actions and assigns roles to key stakeholders across the public and private sectors.

While Pakistan has seen efforts in recent years to promote workplace equality — such as corporate codes encouraging gender diversity — these have largely remained voluntary and inconsistently implemented.

SECP’s proposed framework seeks to introduce a more enforceable and measurable approach to gender inclusion.

Pakistan court orders probe into online blasphemy spike

Pakistan court orders probe into online blasphemy spike
Updated 15 July 2025
AFP
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Pakistan court orders probe into online blasphemy spike

Pakistan court orders probe into online blasphemy spike
  • There has been a spike in cases of mostly young men being arrested for committing blasphemy in WhatsApp groups since 2022
  • Rights groups, police say many are brought to trial by private law firms, who use volunteers to scour Internet for offenders
Updated 15 July 2025
AFP

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan court ordered a government probe on Tuesday into allegations that young people are being entrapped in online blasphemy cases, following appeals from hundreds of families.

There has been a spike in cases of mostly young men being arrested for committing blasphemy in WhatsApp groups since 2022.

Rights groups and police have said that many are brought to trial by private law firms, who use volunteers to scour the Internet for offenders.

“The government will constitute a commission within a 30-day timeframe,” said Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan at Islamabad High Court, adding that the commission is required to submit its findings within four months.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan punishable by death, and even unsubstantiated accusations can incite public outrage, lead to lynchings and to families being shunned by society.

A report published by the government-run National Commission for Human Rights in October last year said there were 767 people, mostly young men, in jail awaiting trial over blasphemy allegations.

“This is a huge ray of hope and it’s the first time that the families have felt heard,” said lawyer Imaan Mazari, who represents the families of arrested men and women, of the court order.

“Youngsters have been falsely roped into cases of such a sensitive nature that the stigma will last forever even if they are acquitted,” she added.

A 2024 report by Punjab police into the sudden spike in cases, that was leaked to the media, found that “a suspicious gang was trapping youth in blasphemy cases” and may be motivated by financial gain.

The Legal Commission on Blasphemy Pakistan (LCBP) is the most active of lawyers groups prosecuting young men in Pakistan.

Sheraz Ahmad Farooqi, one of the group’s leaders, told AFP in October that “God has chosen them for this noble cause.”

In recent years, several youngsters have been convicted and handed death sentences, although no execution has ever been carried out for blasphemy in Pakistan.

“We will fully support the probe commission and are confident that our voices will finally be listened to, our concerns will be heard, and the truth will come out,” the relative of one of the accused, who asked not to be named because of the backlash, told AFP.

Topics: blasphemy Internet

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