Thursday, January 15, 2026
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Pakistan summons Afghan diplomat, strongly condemns cross border shelling

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Pakistan on Friday summoned Afghanistan’s chargé d’affaires in Islamabad and “strongly condemned” the recent unprovoked cross-border shelling by its border security forces.

“Pakistan’s strong condemnation over recent incidents of unprovoked cross-border shelling by Afghan Border Security Forces in the Chaman-Spin Boldak area, resulting in loss of life, injuries and damage to property, was conveyed,” said Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a statement.

Islamabad reiterated to the Afghan side that the protection of civilians remained the responsibility of both countries and that the recurrence of these incidents must be prevented.

“It was agreed to use established institutional mechanisms in this regard. Pakistan remains committed to maintaining fraternal relations with Afghanistan. Peace along the Pak-Afghan border is intrinsic to this end,” said the spokesperson.

Normalcy returns to Chaman border

A day after clashes, the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Chaman was operating routinely amid a high-security alert, security officials told Geo News Friday, adding that a ceasefire is in place with border crossing open at the Friendship Gate.

On Thursday, one person was killed and 15 people were injured when Afghan border forces opened indiscriminate fire on a civilian area on the Pakistani side after which security forces responded befittingly, Levies and hospital officials had shared.

According to local administration, the border area was evacuated after clashes and an emergency was declared in DHQ Chaman.

Levies officials reported that multiple artillery rounds were fired upon the civilian population around the Boghra Road and Custom House areas from the Afghan side. They added that the Pakistani forces have given a befitting response to Afghan shelling.

Authorities had said that the clashes broke out over the intervention of Afghan forces during the repair of the fence in the Sheikh Lal Muhammad sector of the border.

Afghanistan apologises

This was the second time within a week that the Afghan border forces opened unprovoked and indiscriminate fire, using heavy weapons, at the civilian area in Balochistan’s Chaman city.

The border was reopened after Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that the neighbouring country apologised for the incident.

During the previous attack, six people were martyred and 17 others were injured, a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

According to the military’s media wing, the Afghan border forces had used artillery and mortar in the attack.

The ISPR said that Pakistan’s troops at the border gave a befitting albeit measured response against the uncalled-for aggression, but avoided targeting innocent civilians in the area.

On December 2, Pakistan’s Head of Mission to Kabul Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani escaped an assassination bid.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said the embassy’s compound in Kabul came under attack targeting the head of mission, but “by the grace of Allah Almighty, the head of mission is safe”.

However, a Pakistani security guard Sepoy Israr Mohammad had been critically injured in the attack while protecting Nizamani, the Foreign Office said.

China’s Gansu province powers water conservancy with digital twin technology

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By Fu Wen, People’s Daily

“The ‘digital wings’ has significantly improved our work efficiency,” said Li Yujun, an official with the management office of the Shule River irrigation district in northwest China’s Gansu province.

According to him, it only takes 10 minutes now to finish a patrol mission of all the irrigation canals with a total length of nearly 80 kilometers, while the work used to cost a few days.

The “digital wings” is a digital twin system of the Shule River, a national pilot project launched by China’s Ministry of Water Resources in February this year. The project has created a virtual version of the Shule River in the digital world, which simulates all factors of the physical river and the whole process of water management based on the physical river basin, spatial-temporal data, mathematical models and water conservancy knowledge.

“To make it simple, it is a ‘twin’ of the river and water conservancy projects in the virtual world. The sensors deployed along the water course and on the bank slopes can ‘feel’ what’s happening like a neural network,” said Xia Tian, director of the cyber security office of the information center of Gansu province’s water resources department.

He told People’s Daily that the digital twin system is like a brain of the river and water conservancy projects, which can not only forecasts potential hazards and predicts the development of possible emergencies such as floods, but also makes dynamic emergency response plans.

The Shule River is a typical inland river in the arid region of northwest China. The Shule River irrigation district is the largest surface irrigation area in Gansu province, which covers 89,333 hectares of farmland.

Li said a digital management platform has been established for the Shule River irrigation district, which includes 698 monitoring sites of end-canal metering, 106 sets of controlling and surveying gates and 28 radar monitors for water level measurement. The platform is able to track real-time water information from the source of the reservoir to end-canals.

The water resources department of Gansu province has also built a monitoring and warning system for flash flood disasters in the Zhouqu section of the Bailongjiang River, a tributary of the Jialing River, which runs through many counties and districts.

“So far, we have set up a real-time monitoring network and an automatic warning system in the 123-square kilometer densely populated area in the Bailongjiang River basin,” said Xia.

The system can offer pre-warning for outlet cross sections of 53 small watersheds and key cross sections along the 66-kilometer main river course.

In addition, the digital twin technology is also contributing to a water diversion project designed to deliver water from the Taohe River, a major tributary of the Yellow River in Gansu province.

As the longest cross-river water diversion project in Gansu province, the project has canals totaling nearly 1,070 kilometers, almost 400 kilometers longer than the main stream of the Taohe River.

“For the water diversion project, which features a long distance, large quantities of tunnels and ceaseless operation, we have built a whole-process intelligent management system that creates a real-time digital twin, thus improving the project’s operation safety and dispatching capability,” said a manager of Gansu Water-Saving Technology Development Co., Ltd., the company that built the system.

According to him, the system has significantly lowered the energy consumption of water distribution facilities and improved the utilization of water supply to over 95 percent. Besides, it also lowered operational and management cost, and largely quickened failure response.

Juncao contributes to treatment of saline-alkali land in Jiangsu province

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By Bai Guangdi, People’s Daily

Yancheng, which literally means the “City of Salt” in Chinese, is located in east China’s Jiangsu province. It is home to more than 455,000 hectares of coastal mud flat, which accounts for 70 percent of the total saline-alkali land of Jiangsu province.

Juncao, which in Chinese literally means “mushroom” and “grass”, can be used to grow edible and medicinal mushrooms. In 2019, Zhang Quanxing, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at the School of Environment of Nanjing University, visited a demonstration base of Juncao in Pingtan county, southeast China’s Fujian province, and learned about the plant’s strong vitality, as well as its high economic and ecological value.

Later, he shared with Lin Zhanxi, chief scientist of the China National Engineering Research Center of Juncao Technology, the idea of planting Juncao grass on the coastal mud flat of Jiangsu province.

In April 2021, Yancheng started growing Juncao grass. Over the past year, the plant has brought about positive changes to the coastal mud flat in the city.

A Juncao test field in Caomiao township, Dafeng district, Yancheng, has planted 10 hectares of Giant Juncao grass, a Juncao grass variety that can grow about five to six meters tall.

The test field was once a piece of salty and barren land where nothing was able to grow.

The Juncao grass is sweet itself, but it tastes salty now because it absorbs the salt in the soil and thus lowers the salt content in the soil, according to Liu Bobin, professor at the Yancheng Teachers University.

Good news from Pingtan county confirmed the impact of Juncao grass. In June this year, a piece of mud flat in Pingtan county saw its salt content drop from 14.7 per mille to 1.3 per mille since it was planted with Juncao grass three years ago by a research team led by Lin.

Yancheng, which has a different climate from Pingtan county, has a higher requirement for the cold hardiness of Juncao grass. At present, researchers are working to cultivate a new variety of Juncao grass that suits the natural environment in Yancheng, so as to better solve the issue of soil salinization in the city.

Apart from improving soil ecology, Juncao grass has also laid a solid foundation for enriching biodiversity in Yancheng.

Yancheng has the world’s largest nature reserve for the protection of elks. Statistics show that over 7,000 elks inhabit the areas along the coastal mud flat in the city, including some 3,000 wild ones.

To ensure the source of food for the animals has always been a topic studied by the nature reserve over recent years, and Juncao grass is considered a substitution for traditional feed.

The nature reserve designated a piece of land as a Juncao test field, and the grass harvested there is fed to some of the elks.

According to Jia Yuanyuan, deputy head of the Yancheng research institute of elks, the animals enjoy eating the Juncao grass. However, it takes further scientific experiments to prove whether Juncao grass can be taken as daily feed for elks, she added.

If the result is positive, it will not only significantly reduce the feeding cost of elks, but also enrich the source of food for wild elk populations, Jia said.

Besides, Juncao grass is also a rich reserve of food for migrant birds staying, breeding or wintering in the city.

The strong capability of Juncao grass in nitrogen and carbon fixation has opened up even bigger prospects for the plant.

It is learned that different from other crops that take in nitrogen from the outside, Juncao grass is able to fix nitrogen in the soil through its photosynthesis, which improves the fertility of the soil and lowers the consumption of fertilizers. It is beneficial to the development of ecological agriculture.

Juncao grass can reduce greenhouse gases as well. “Based on experimental data, the photosynthesis efficiency of Giant Juncao grass is 4 to 21 times higher than that of broad-leaved trees. Each hectare of Giant Juncao grass can absorb more than 100 tons of carbon dioxide each year,” said Lin.

Yancheng would see broad prospects of carbon fixation if it plants Juncao grass on all of its mud flats, the scientist added.

Off the pitch, Morocco emerges a winner in the World Cup

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France defeated Morocco 2:0 on the pitch, but off the pitch Morocco is up 4:0. Ultimately, the effects of Morocco’s off-the-pitch success may ripple much longer than the fallout of its stellar performance in the stadium.

To be sure, Morocco shares its off-the-pitch success with others, including France, its on-the-pitch history-laden rival, as well as Qatar and Qatari activists.

Fielding squads populated to large degrees by immigrants and their descendants, Morocco and France put migration in a different light at a time when Europe struggled to control immigration.

Migration helped make both teams what they are, one of the world’s top four soccer squads.

The symbolism was not lost on the day four people died when a boat carrying dozens of would-be migrants from France to Britain capsized in the English Channel.

The incident boosted calls for policies that offer migrants safe and legal pathways rather than focus primarily on law enforcement and border protection.

Imagine that France and Morocco had duelled four days later on December 18, International Migrants Day and the day of France’s World Cup final against Argentina. The symbolism would have been even starker.

Even so, the Morocco-France match added texture to the identity aspect of the migration debate and the symbolism of Morocco’s on and off-the-pitch performance.

Many Moroccans and non-Moroccans took pride and joy in the North African state’s Cinderella-like march through the tournament against the backdrop of colonial history, decades of Islam having been put post-9/11 on the defensive amid rising Islamophobia, and as an expression of the rebalancing of global power between West and East.

“Morocco’s semifinal pairing with France has…taken on outsized geopolitical dimensions, seemingly pitting the once colonized against its former colonizer, the Global South taking on the Global North, East against West, David versus Goliath,” said Paul Silverstein, an anthropologist, focused on North Africa.

On one level, the support of a predominantly Muslim Arab and African nation constituted a rejection of militant, politically violent expressions of Islam that sought to exploit the World Cup to divide rather than bring people together in a fleeting moment of solidarity.

An Islamic State poster accusing Jews and Christians of using sports to distract Muslims from waging jihad failed to resonate with fans in Doha and elsewhere.

Sports scholar Mahfoud Amara and political scientist Youcef Bouandel noted that “even the most radical and conservative wings in Islam have not been successful in distancing these populations with their (quasi–religious) passion for football. Which for many is one of the few sources of entertainment when confronted with daily socio-economic difficulties.”  

Likewise, the empathy with Morocco’s sporting success and spotlighting of the Palestinian cause fuelled rather than resolved debates about Moroccan identity, visible gaps between Arab elites and publics, and rivalries among Gulf states that continue to play out despite an end to open animosity.

Little noticed in the celebration of the Moroccan fete as an Arab and African success was Moroccan goalkeeper Munir Mohammed el Kajoui’s gesture when he put his Amazigh identity on public display by wrapping the ethnic group’s tricolour around his waist during celebrations after Morocco defeated Spain.

Amazighs or Berbers account for 40 per cent of the Moroccan population. They saw their identity buried under the Arab African label. To assert themselves, Amazighs celebrated Mr. El Kajoui’s gesture on social media, prompting discussion about whether Morocco is an Arab country.

The complexity of the identity issue at times sparked confusion.

In one incident, in a twist of irony, Qatari security prevented fans from bringing the blue, green, and yellow Amazigh tricolour into the stadium in the mistaken belief that it represented the LGBTQ rainbow.

In another, Moroccan striker Hakim Ziyech listened, impatiently drumming his fingers, to a journalist asking questions in Arabic. A speaker of Dutch, English, and Tarfit, a Berber language, Mr. Ziyech responded, “Now in English, please.”

Most Moroccans speak darija, a spoken rather than a written language widely classified as an Arabic dialect that most Arabic speakers beyond the Maghreb, the western part of North Africa that also includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and Tunisia, are unable to understand.

As a result, BeIn, the Qatari sports broadcaster, adds Arabic subtitles when it broadcasts interviews with darija-speaking Moroccan players and fans.

As genuine as World Cup fans’ support of the Palestinians was, the emergence of Palestine as a touchstone for the gap between elites and public opinion constituted a throwback to the days when Palestinians were a lightning rod for widespread frustration with non-performing, autocratic Arab regimes.

In a subtle, or perhaps not so subtle way, Palestine served Qatar’s purpose.

It allowed Qatar to point the finger at its Gulf rivals, particularly the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. These two Arab states were at the forefront of the 3.5-year-long UAE-Saudi-led economic and diplomatic boycott of the Gulf state that was lifted in early 2021 and recognized Israel in 2020.

To be sure, the subtext of animosity encountered by Israelis in Qatar was a far cry from the call on Muslims by the Islamic State to “cut…(the) necks of Christians and Jews and kick their heads through the battlefields… rather than surrender your heads to be played with in the soccer arenas.”

Implicitly, fans were taking to task those governments that had recognised Israel for failing to link normalisation to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In doing so, the fans unwittingly projected Qatar as a more open society. They further positioned the Gulf state as being on the right side of history by refusing to normalize relations with Israel before the Jewish state engaged in a constructive solution to the Palestinian problem.

Qatari tolerance of public support for the Palestinians contrasted starkly with the UAE’s banning of critics from travel and restrictions on expressing pro-Palestinian sentiment in Bahrain.

Emphasis on the Palestinians allowed Qatar to portray itself as a country that enables civil society, albeit only if groups align themselves with the Gulf state’s policies and only when the timing of their activities suits the government.

One group that played a key role in galvanizing fan support for the Palestinians, Qatar Youth Opposed to Normalization (QAYON), discovered that early on as the government sought to bend the group to its will through coercion and intimidation.

Founded in 2011 at the time of Qatari support for popular revolts in the region, QAYON saw in the World Cup an opportunity to bolster its campaign against engaging with Israel.

The government rejected the group’s initial World Cup-related demand that it bars Israelis from attending the tournament in violation of the rules of world soccer body FIFA.

FIFA obliges host countries to allow fans to attend a World Cup irrespective of whether they are from nations the tournament host does not recognise or is at odds with the host country.

Nevertheless, in contrast to spectators whom Qatari security prevented from wearing to matches OneLove armbands favouring LGBTQ rights, a sensitive issue in Qatar, or paraphernalia in support of anti-government protesters in Iran, authorities did nothing to stop QAYON from galvanizing fans attending the World Cup.

Qatar justified its banning of the OneLove armband and anti-Iranian paraphernalia by pointing to FIFA’s ban on all political expression on the pitch.

It’s unclear whether FIFA extended the ban to the pro-Palestine campaign or whether Qatar chose to ignore the FIFA rule selectively.

In the final analysis, Qatar, unlike Morocco, never made it out of the World Cup’s group stage. But like Morocco, it emerges from the World Cup, an off-the-pitch winner.

Thank you to all who have demonstrated their appreciation for my column by becoming paid subscribers. This allows me to ensure that it continues to have maximum impact. Maintaining free distributions means that news website, blogs, and newsletters across the globe can republish it. I launched my column, The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer, 12 years ago. To borrow a phrase from an early proprietor of The Observer, it offers readers, listeners, and viewers ‘the scoop of interpretation.’ If you are able and willing to support the column, please become a paid subscriber by clicking on Substack on the subscription button and choosing one of the subscription options.

Dr. James M. Dorsey is an award-winning journalist and scholar, an Adjunct Senior Fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and the author of the syndicated column and blog, The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer.

All you need to know about PSL 2023 Draft

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KARACHI: The players’ draft for Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 will be held in Karachi today, with around 1,000 local and foreign players available to be picked by six franchises for 61 slots.

Five out of six PSL teams had retained eight players, while Peshawar Zalmi retained seven players last month when the retention and transfer windows were closed.

These teams will now complete a squad of 18 — which will have three players each in platinum, diamond, and gold categories, five in silver category, two in emerging and up to two in supplementary categories.

Teams can have up to three foreign players in the first three categories — platinum, diamond, and gold — among them one overseas player is mandatory in platinum and diamond.

In a squad of 16, teams have to pick five overseas players, while in 18, they can have six foreign players.

As many as 517 foreigners and 491 Pakistani players are available for selection tomorrow.

Defending champions Lahore Qalandars will make the first pick in the draft. Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans will have second and third picks.

The fourth and fifth picks will be done by Karachi Kings and Islamabad United, while Peshawar Zalmi will make the sixth pick in the opening round.

Qalandars, who had retained Rashid Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in the platinum category, would pick one more player in the platinum round. All other five franchises will have two picks available in the platinum category.

Qalandars will have one pick in diamond and two in the gold round, and three in the silver category. They can also add one player from the emerging category to their squad of 16 before adding two supplementary players to the squad.

Karachi Kings had retained Mohammad Aamir, Shoaib Malik, and Imad Wasim in the diamond category, and they will not pick any player in this round but they’ll have all three picks available in the gold round.

Multan Sultans have also retained all three diamond players — Shan Masood, Khushdil Shah and Rilee Rossouw — and have retained two players — Tim David and Shahnawaz Dahani — in the gold category.

Sultans have three picks in the first nine rounds and for them, it is also mandatory to pick at least one foreign player in the platinum category. They also have all five silver picks available.

Henry Cavill says he will not return as Superman

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Henry Cavill on Thursday left millions of his fans disappointed when he announced that he will not be returning as Superman.

“I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it’s sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” the actor said in a statement.

He said, “After being told by the studio to announce my return in October, prior to their hire, this news is’nt easiest, but that’s life. The changing of guard is something that happens.”

The “Man of Steel” actor said, “For those who have been my side through the years…We can mourn for a bit, but then we must remember…Superman is still around. Everything he stands for still exists, and the examples he sets for us are still there.”

“My turn to wear capes has passed, but what Superman stands for never will.”

PML-Q: Party for all seasons

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It was after former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged on April 4th, 1979 that military dictator General Zia ul Haq — to fulfil his political ambition and prolong his rule — not only needed legitimacy but also political support to counter Bhutto’s charisma which refused to die even after his death. He was more popular in Punjab than in Sindh and they needed someone to challenge PPP’s popularity.

The Chaudhrys of Gujarat always remained establishment’s natural ally from the days of late Chaudhry Zahour Elahi, who had political rivalry with Bhutto and was later assassinated allegedly by Al-Zulfiqar militant group formed to take revenge for Bhutto’s death.

So, had the establishment picked Chaudhrys’ at that point the political polarisation would have favored PPP so they looked for a new ally and found one through one Ayub Khan day’s Brig Qayyum, said to be close to both former governor of Punjab, late General (retd) Ghulam Jillani and elder Mian Mohammad Sharif. The latter, though also hated Bhutto for “nationalising” his Ittefaq Industries, had no political ambitions.

An unimpeachable source close to Sharifs’ revealed that an offer through Gen (retd) Jillani, Gen (retd) Iqbal was made on behalf of Gen Zia that his industries would be returned and would continue to flourish his business but was asked to allow his son Mian Nawaz Sharif to come into politics. He was later made the finance minister.

It was the beginning of a political innings of Nawaz Sharif and while Ch Shujaat Hussain and co remained the establishment’s permanent ally and were asked to back Sharif, Gen Zia wanted an urban oriented business family to counter the popular PPP and to promote the culture of privatisation and business oriented politics.

Zia prolonged his rule by holding elections on a non-party basis and then allowed his hand picked to form the Pakistan Muslim League. While the Sharifs’ and Chaudhrys’ were on his side, he picked a Sindhi leader, Mohammad Khan Junejo, as prime minister in a bid to defuse the anti-establishment narrative among Bhutto followers.

Junejo did not last as he started taking independent decisions. It also resulted in a power struggle with PML but Sharif managed to get support and emerged as a front runner for the top slot as prime minister. But since the establishment wanted to maintain its pressure on PPP and on the popular image of Bhutto’s daughter Benazir Bhutto, they formed an alliance of anti-Bhutto forces called Islami Jamoohri Ittehad, IJI and made Nawaz Sharif its president.

Benazir Bhutto’s popularity was also cut to size in the 1988 elections and later was given a weak government through a compromise while the establishment of former army chief General (retd) Aslam Baig and former president late Ghulam Ishaq Khan silently conspired to oust BB’s government. The first attempt was in 1989, a few months after her government but it failed; she was sacked on August 6, 1990.

It was the beginning of a long political battle between BB and Sharif and the establishment succeeded in making him a national leader.

The Gujarat Chaudhrys’ till that time had little choice but were waiting for the right moment. They were most disappointed when in 1997, MNS promised Ch Shujaat Hussain that he would be the next Punjab CM but after he got two-thirds majority, he backed out from his commitment and made Shehbaz Sharif the CM.

It was only after Oct 12, 1999 military coup and followed by Sharif’s decision to leave the country under a deal that Gujarat Chaudhry got the chance. They were disappointed that Sharif neither took them into confidence over the 10-year deal of leaving politics nor handed over the party to them. Instead, veteran Javed Hashmi was made the acting president.

Gen Pervez Musharraf followed the footsteps of Gen Zia and decided to prolong his rule minus Sharif and Bhuttos’. Initially, in Karachi, MQM led by its founder Altaf Hussain did not back Musharraf and indirectly the establishment and boycotted 2001 referendum and local body polls as well as Altaf wanted the establishment to get rid of MQM (Haqiqi). His demand was accepted and MQM and Musharraf developed a long association which lasted till 2008.

In Punjab, Musharraf preferred Chaudhry over Imran Khan, who had backed him from 1999 to 2002 but was disappointed when the General asked him to back Ch Shujaat and Ch Parvez Elahi as they could counter Sharif better than Imran. It was at this point Imran called Chaudhrys’ “chor and dako” and blasted Musharraf for his political ambitions.

It was Imran’s hate against Musharraf and Chaudhrys’ that he once came close to Sharif and they alongwith Jamaat-e-Islami’s late Qazi Hussain Ahmad formed an alliance.

For Gujarat, it’s like a dream come true. Ch Pervez Elahi got the best bid and became the Punjab CM, while Ch Shujaat, who was first made the prime minister but later the slot went to Shaukat Aziz, was made interior minister.

The tragedy of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination on Dec 27, 2007 completely changed the political dynamics of Pakistan and new political realities emerged like PPP, led by Asif Ali Zardari, went to the house of Gujarat with a message to end old political rivalries between the two families. The surprise move came months after Benazir named Ch Parvez Elahi in a plot to kill her.

The other reality was the rise of Imran Khan. The PPP and PML-N “honeymoon” favoured him as he emerged as a strong opposition leader and in 2013, established PTI as the third political force. On the other hand, Asif Ali Zardari and Chaudhrys’ relationship resulted in making Ch Pervez Elahi deputy prime minister, the post which never existed even till this day beside dozens of ministries. He also helped Ch Monis Elahi in a serious alleged money laundering case.

In 2018, when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, led by Imran Khan, emerged as the single largest party but was short of forming the government, the establishment once again looked to its old ally from Gujarat and despite having a strained relationship they not only backed Imran but also his nominee in Punjab — Usman Buzdar. They did not lose as much as PML-Q and Ch Pervez Elahi became the defacto chief minister with nearly six major districts under him.

However, in nearly three-and-half years of their government, Imran’s dislike for Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi was quite visible. They were almost on no talking terms for almost two-and-half years. Ch Parvez Elahi, more than once, told me how disappointed he is with Imran and dislikes his arrogance. Imran, too, clearly told Moonis that he “did not even like his face” to talk of giving him the ministry.

For the first time in Gujarat’s political history, a split emerged between the family of the two brothers, Ch Shujaat and Ch Parvez Elahi, in what looked like the battle between the younger Chaudhrys’ more than between Shujaat and Elahi. It occurred apparently because of the alleged split in the approach within the “establishment” as well.

Asif Zardari made ground for Parvez Elahi and convinced even Nawaz Sharif but just an hour before the formal announcement of the new chief minister, something dramatic happened and Parvez Elahi returned to Imran’s camp and became the CM.

He certainly has a dream of keeping this position for long and power as under Musharraf and as deputy PM under Zardari but Imran has other plans in mind. Whether he dissolves the Punjab Assembly now or takes a U-turn on it and lets the assemblies continue till August, one thing is certain — Ch Parvez Elahi is very unlikely to be his choice if PTI wins the next general elections or even the Punjab elections.

Unlike Parvez Elahi, his son Moonis, who has fired shots in the last few months, sees his political future with Imran Khan and not with Sharifs’ or Zardari. Now, how much Imran could trust him, one has to wait and see but the next Punjab CM will be from PTI in case the party wins the elections.

With the new establishment in place with a vision to keep itself out of politics or political games, the Chaudhrys’ still look to them for future political guidance with or without Imran Khan. CM Elahi had proved this when, despite all pressure from Imran, he did not order registration of an FIR against Maj Gen Faisal Naseer.

Whether Imran decides to dissolve the Punjab and KP Assemblies, Gujarat has little choice at the moment except to side with Imran. As for the future, they always looked towards their “trusted guide”. After all, with a handful of MNAs and MPAs, they have got everything which they have dreamt of either with Sharifs’, Zardari or Imran Khan thanks to the powers that be.

New Zealand recall leg-spinner Ish Sodhi for Test series against Pakistan

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New Zealand have included leg-spinner Ish Sodhi in their 15-member squad for their upcoming tour to Pakistan for the two-match Test series.

The 30-year-old has been included alongside Glenn Phillips and uncapped Blair Tickner for the series which is scheduled to start in Karachi on December 26 and conclude in Multan on January 3.

“I know all three of the guys have a real passion for the longest form of the game and are looking forward to getting into their red-ball work at the pre-tour camp in Lincoln this week,” said New Zealand Coach Gary Stead on the trio’s inclusion in the squad.

On Sodhi’s inclusion, the Blackcaps coach said that they have included Sodhi after looking at the current conditions and style of play in the Pakistan and England Test series.

The tour will be Tim Southee’s first as Test captain after Kane Williamson announced he was stepping down as skipper in the longest format.

Meanwhile, Trent Boult has been excluded from the squad after he made himself unavailable for the tour. Kyle Jamieson has also not been included in the squad as he is recovering from a back injury.

The New Zealand coach said his team was looking forward to the prospect of playing Test cricket in Pakistan for the first time since 2003.

The squad for the one-day series will be named on December 19.

Blackcaps Test squad for Pakistan

Tim Southee (c), Michael Bracewell, Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Series to start a day earlier than scheduled

Earlier this week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a revised itinerary for the Green Shirts’ upcoming Test and one-day international (ODI) series against New Zealand.

In a statement, the cricket board mentioned that the series would kick start on December 26 in Karachi — but it did not reveal the reason behind bringing forward the tour by a day.

“The Pakistan Cricket Board and New Zealand Cricket have mutually agreed to bring forward the tour of New Zealand men’s side to Pakistan by a day,” the PCB said in a press release.

“The first Test of the two-match series will now commence on December 26 at the National Bank Cricket Arena Karachi, and the second will be played in Multan from January 3.

“The three ODIs will be played on 10, 12 and 14 January in Karachi.”

Schedule

First Test: December 26-30 at National Bank Cricket Arena Karachi

Second Test: January 3-7 at Multan Cricket Stadium

First ODI: January 10 at National Bank Cricket Arena Karachi

Second ODI: January 12 at National Bank Cricket Arena Karachi

Third ODI: January 14 at National Bank Cricket Arena Karachi

Civilian, soldier martyred in North Waziristan suicide blast: ISPR

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A civilian and a Pakistan Army soldier were martyred in a suicide blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan District, said the military’s media wing on Thursday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that blast had occurred general area of Miran Shah on Wednesday.

It identified the martyred soldier as 30-year-old Havaldar Muhammad Ameer, a resident of Mianwali.

The ISPR also added that the blast martyred a civilian and injured nine others as well.

President, PM condemn suicide blast 

The blast was condemned by President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reported Radio Pakistan. 

President Alvi vowed to continue efforts till the remnants of terrorism are extirpated. He added that the entire nation stands united in the fight against terrorism.

He condoled with the bereaved families of those martyred in the incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

In a separate statement, PM Shehbaz hailed the services of people and security forces for the elimination of terrorism in the country.

While strongly denouncing the suicide blast, the PM said terrorists are playing in the hands of our enemies who want to destabilise Pakistan.

Th premier expressed commitment to punish these criminals for rendering the blood of Pakistani people. He expressed grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of the security personnel and the civilian and also condoled with the bereaved families.

He also paid tributes to the martyrs for laying down their lives for the country.

Minister concerned over worsening situation in KP

On the other hand, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, while condemning the blast, expressed concern over the PTI government’s performance towards the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“We will chase the terrorists and defeat their nefarious designs,” said the minister in a Twitter statement. 

Sana said that Pakistan’s security forces are fully capable of thwarting terrorist activities. The sacrifices of the martyrs will not go in vain, the nation of stands with its security forces, he added.

Iran ousted from UN women’s group after US campaign

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Iran was ousted from a United Nations women’s group on Wednesday for policies contrary to the rights of women and girls, a move proposed by the United States after Tehran’s crackdown on protests over the death of a young woman in custody.

The 54-member UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted a US-drafted resolution to “remove with immediate effect the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the remainder of its 2022-2026 term.”

There were 29 votes in favour, eight against — including Russia and China — and there were 16 abstentions.

“This is a victory for Iranian revolutionaries who have been facing guns & bullets as they fight this gender apartheid state,” US-based Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad posted on Twitter.

Iran’s clerical rulers have faced the biggest protests in years since September when 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police who enforce strict dress codes.

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said removing Iran was the right thing to do. The 45-member commission meets annually every March and aims to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.

“It’s hugely important for the women of Iran,” Thomas-Greenfield told Reuters after the vote.

“They got a strong message from the United Nations that we will support them and we will condemn Iran and we will not let them sit on the Commission for the Status of Women and continue to attack women in their own country,” she said.

Thomas-Greenfield said the vote was unprecedented and “we’re not going to draw the line, we are going to continue to press for human rights wherever they’re being violated. This is a core value for us.”

Iran rejects expulsion

Speaking before the vote, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani called the US move illegal, describing Washington as a bully. “This illegal conduct might also create a dangerous precedent with far-reaching consequences,” Iravani said.

Iran, 17 other states and the Palestinians, in a letter to ECOSOC on Monday urged members to vote no to avoid a “new trend for expelling sovereign and rightfully-elected States from any given body of the international system, if ever perceived as inconvenient.”

International Crisis Group UN Director Richard Gowan said several countries that supported Iran’s removal were also privately worried about creating a precedent for exclusion.

“Even a lot of countries disgusted by Iran’s behavior would have preferred something milder, like temporarily suspending Iran from the CSW,” Gowan said. “But the US effectively forced other members to get in line by announcing the initiative with very little warning.”

Thomas-Greenfield said there was consultation on the measure and that if everyone had been able to weigh in on drafting the resolution then “we’d still be negotiating next year.”

The Islamic Republic on Monday hanged a man in public who state media said had been convicted of killing two members of the security forces, the second execution in less than a week of people involved in protests.

The demonstrations have turned into a popular revolt by furious Iranians from all layers of society, posing one of the most significant legitimacy challenges to the Shi’ite clerical elite since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran has blamed its foreign enemies and their agents for the unrest.

The Geneva-based UN Rights Council voted last month to appoint an independent investigation into Iran’s deadly repression of protests, passing the motion to cheers of activists. Tehran accused Western states of using the council to target Iran in an “appalling and disgraceful” move.

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