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Pakistan

Journey from resistance to reconciliation!

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The effects of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's occupation of the entire country are being felt throughout the region.

Imran Yaqub Khan Profile Imran Yaqub Khan

The Afghan Taliban will conquer Kabul, a prediction made by the US intelligence a year ago, and the chairman of the US military, Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milli, acknowledged it in a US Senate committee. Mark Milli also said he had been adamant for a year that if the United States left Afghanistan unconditionally, no one would be able to stop the Afghan Taliban from occupying the country, with the help of the United States and its allies. The established Afghan army and government will disintegrate.

In view of this change in the region, major capitals have formulated policies and Pakistan is nowhere to be seen in these policies. Whether it is the US trilateral defense alliance-- Oaks --or the four-member informal alliance-- Quad, or the European Union's Indo-Pacific policy, India seems to be important in all pacts.

A few short-sighted people who call themselves intellectuals and analysts are celebrating victory without fully understanding the situation in the region. Terrorism has witnessed an increase in the country since the formation of the Afghan Taliban government, and after the Taliban's victory, there were 35 terrorist attacks in Pakistan in August alone, in which 52 civilians were killed. The figures, published by the American broadcaster Bloomberg with reference to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, are shocking. Economic activity is influenced by Bloomberg reports, and foreign investors and international financial institutions formulate policies based on Bloomberg reports.

It's not difficult to predict what effect the Bloomberg report and the new wave of terrorism will have on the country's already crippled economy, but some unscrupulous friends of the rulers are still chanting "all is well". Same Bloomberg report mentioned that a foreign investor had postponed a deal to buy a Pakistani company, which is just one example.

Ameer Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister in Kabul's interim government, said in a statement yesterday that US drones were flying over Afghanistan, a clear violation of state sovereignty. He named the United States and called on governments around the world to respect Afghanistan's sovereignty. Where did these drones fly from and through which route did they enter Afghanistan? The interim government of Kabul has not given any indication yet but this issue will also arise tomorrow and Pakistan could be traditionally blamed. Prime Minister Imran Khan had long ago raised the slogan of "Absolutely Not", but perhaps the new administration of Kabul also began to doubt Islamabad and this slogan became a sign of diplomatic failure and our rulers were seen muttering this message.

"Even strangers are angry with me, even strangers are unhappy."

If that were the case, efforts would have been made to improve the situation, but the situation is much worse now. A storm is about to lift. The coming of this storm is signaled by a bill to be introduced in the US Senate. The bill aims to impose sanctions on those who helped the Taliban conquer Kabul. Within 180 days of the bill's passage, the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and Director of National Intelligence will submit a report to the congressional committee detailing Taliban supporters.

The first report will look at which state and non-state actors, including the government of Pakistan, helped the Taliban between 2001 and 2020. Who provided the Taliban with safe havens, financial support, intelligence, medical care and supplies? Armed them and helped determine their military, administrative or strategic direction? It will also look at how the Pakistani government, including state and non-state actors, helped overthrow the US-led Afghan government in 2021. The report, called for in the proposed US congressional bill, also called for a review of allegations that the Pakistani government, including state and non-state actors, attacked the Taliban in the September 2021 Panjshir Valley and resisted the Taliban. Helped

The powers that be must have sensed the internal situation of the country and the geopolitical situation in the region and the storm raging in the US Congress. Feeling the atmosphere and maybe that is why the ruling party is also going into electoral mode. Recently, a few political birds that have changed allegiances have been brought under the sway of the PTI. These birds have come at a price, not at the behest of traditional power centers, but at the behest of this government. The leaders of the opposition parties will also get hints and they have sensed the situation on the basis of political experience.

The signs that the opposition making preparations have been circulating for days, but former Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif's virtual address on Tuesday is an important development in this regard. Former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif said, "Your and my slogan is, respect the vote, these are our goals, abide by the constitution, do not break the parliament, do not arrest the prime minister, let the country run, and respect the civil government. 

If we get all this through reconciliation, then Bismillah (With the name of Allah Almighty), if we get it through resistance, then still Bismillah, we are ready for both." This speech of the former prime minister is a sign of political change in the country, the clear proof of which and the first major change is the willingness of the PML-N leader himself for reconciliation.

All further stages in the journey from resistance to reconciliation are in the hands of PML-N President Mian Shehbaz Sharif. It seems that Shehbaz Sharif has persuaded his elder brother without holding his feet. If this is indeed the case, then understand that now an interesting turning point has come in this political game and this is the decisive turning point.

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India grants visas to Pakistani squad for World Cup 2023

The International Cricket Council has confirmed the development regarding issuance of visas to the Pakistani squad.

Published by Hussnain Bhutta

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Lahore: The prevailing uncertainty regarding Pakistan's participation in the highly anticipated ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 has been resolved, as India has now issued visas to the Pakistan cricket team.

This development was confirmed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday.

The confirmation from the ICC followed earlier complaints about delays in the visa issuance process, which had raised concerns about the team's readiness for the prestigious event to be held in India.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had expressed its concerns to the ICC, citing visa delays that had disrupted the team's preparation for the tournament hosted across the border.

An ICC spokesperson informed Reuters that "visas have been issued to the Pakistan team," providing assurance that the matter had been resolved. The PCB spokesperson, Umar Farooq, also confirmed to Reuters that they had been instructed to collect their passports from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

It is worth noting that India and Pakistan have suspended bilateral cricket matches due to strained political relations between the neighboring countries. They only compete against each other in multi-team tournaments such as the World Cup and Asia Cup.

In a strongly-worded statement, Umar Farooq decried the "inequitable treatment" experienced by the Pakistan team, who are scheduled to arrive in India on Wednesday.

Farooq stated, "There has been an extraordinary delay in getting clearance and securing Indian visas for the Pakistan team for the ICC World Cup." He continued, "We have written to ICC raising our concerns about inequitable treatment towards Pakistan and reminding them of these obligations towards the World Cup."

The delay had caused significant uncertainty for the Pakistan team ahead of the major tournament.

Pakistan is set to play two warm-up matches before commencing their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6. The highly anticipated clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is scheduled for October 14 in Ahmedabad.

It's noteworthy that India declined to tour Pakistan for the Asia Cup, which was instead held in Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17.

Pakistan Squad for ICC World Cup 2023:

Babar Azam (c)

Abdullah Shafique

Fakhar Zaman

Imam-ul-Haq

Iftikhar Ahmed

Mohammad Rizwan (wk)

Shadab Khan

Mohammad Nawaz

Usama Mir

Haris Rauf

M Wasim Jnr

Hasan Ali

Shaheen Shah Afridi

Saud Shakeel

Salman Ali Agha

Travelling Reserves:

 

Mohammad Haris

Abrar Ahmed

Zaman Khan

Pakistan's Warm-Up Matches Schedule:

September 29 — vs New Zealand in Hyderabad

October 3 — vs Australia in Hyderabad

Pakistan's ICC World Cup 2023 Schedule:

October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad

October 10 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad

October 14 — vs India in Ahmedabad

October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru

October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai

October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai

October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata

November 4 — vs New Zealand in Bengaluru (Day match)

November 11 — vs England in Kolkata

Day matches will commence at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), while all other matches will be day-night fixtures starting at 01:30 pm (PST).

Should Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, their match will be held in Kolkata. If India reaches the semi-finals, their venue will be Mumbai unless they face Pakistan, in which case the match will be played in Kolkata.

 

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Pakistan

PTI four activists re-arrested soon after release from Kot Lakhpat jail

The police say that all four women including Sanam Javed, Afshan Tariq, Ashma Shuja and Shah Noor have been re-arrested in another case of Jinnah house attack case.

Published by Hussnain Bhutta

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Lahore: The Lahore police on Monday re-arrested four women activists of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after they were released in Jinnah house attack case.

The police said that they were arrested in another case related to attack on Jinnah house on May 9.

The police re-arrested the women activists including Sanam Javed from Kot Lakhpat jail soon after the local court issued their release orders. Afshan Tariq, Shah Noor and Ashma Shujah were the other three women.

The development took place after an Anti-Terrorism Court accepted the bail applications of four PTI activists including Sanam Javed in the said case. The court ordered the relevant authorities to release them from the jail. 

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Saints QB Carr suffers shoulder injury, ruled out

Saints quarterback Derek Carr was ruled out for the rest of Sunday's game against the Packers with a shoulder injury.

Published by Web Desk

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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Saints quarterback Derek Carr went to a local hospital Sunday to be evaluated after injuring his right shoulder in the third quarter of New Orleans' 18-17 loss to the Packers, according to coach Dennis Allen.

''They're doing an evaluation, I think it's X-rays," Allen said after the game. "I can't tell you really any more than that. When we know what it is, we'll let you know."

Carr flew home with the team.

Carr's injury marks the fifth consecutive season that the Saints have injuries at quarterback. Drew Brees missed nine games between 2019 and 2020, and Jameis Winston missed most of the 2021 season with a torn ACL before injuring his back and foot in the 2022 season.

In that time span, the Saints also started Teddy Bridgewater, Trevor Siemian, Ian Book, Taysom Hill and Andy Dalton in addition to Brees, Winston and Carr due to injuries and COVID-19.

The Saints turned to Winston after Carr was ruled out of the game in the second half. The Saints had a 17-0 lead when Carr exited, but the Packers scored three straight times in the fourth quarter for the win.

Winston completed 10 of 16 passes for 101 yards and was able to drive the team 47 yards to the Green Bay 34 in the last three minutes of the game, but Saints kicker Blake Grupe missed a potential winning field goal.

"I think Jameis did fine stepping in," Allen said. "Overall, I'm just going to say it wasn't good enough for any of us."

Carr landed hard on his shoulder following a sack that occurred on third-and-9 with 10:51 left in the third quarter. He remained on the ground for a few minutes as athletic trainers attended to his shoulder with his teammates kneeling beside him.

"Just to see him on the ground not wanting to move ... of course that was alarming to see," said Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, who had a punt return for a touchdown early in the game.

Carr walked to the sideline on his own and entered the injury tent, where team doctors evaluated him and quickly determined that he would need to leave the game to get X-rays.

Carr was 13-of-18 for 103 yards and a touchdown before the injury.

"He got slammed pretty good," Saints tight end Juwan Johnson said. "You could just tell. Obviously, it was unfortunate because of the sack, just him being on the ground, I knew something was up with the force he was put on the ground. I hope it's nothing serious, that's kind of the biggest thing."

Winston will regain his starting role for the third straight season if Carr is out for any extended time. Winston took a pay cut to stay with the Saints this year after they signed Carr to a four-year, $150 million deal in free agency.

"I'm confident in our football team," Allen said when asked of his confidence in Winston. "We stumbled today, we learned from it, we'll get better from it and we'll keep going."

Winston appeared in four games in 2020 in place of an injured Brees, started seven games in 2021 and started the first three games of last season. He did not regain his starting job from Dalton last year after the team chose to rest him to heal his injuries.

Winston said that his first thought was whether Carr was OK after he got hurt. His second thought was that he needed to grab his helmet and warm up.

"The second thing is, 'Hey, I'm prepared for this opportunity,'" Winston said. "I've been there before, and I was ready."

Carr was the second Saints player ruled out Sunday after guard Cesar Ruiz left the game early with a concussion.

"We know he's going to be all right, he's a tough guy," Shaheed said. "He's a warrior. We're all behind him no matter what."
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