Ind vs Eng semi-final, T20 World Cup: With the first semi-final over, all eyes are on the second crucial clash between India and England on Thursday at Adelaide Oval, Australia. Emotions are running high in both countries as cricket fans across the world are gearing up for yet another super clash ahead of the final, which will be played on Sunday.
In the second semifinal, the Men in Blue will take on England, which tops ICC’s ODI ranking but falls behind India in the T20 ranking. With 269 ratings, Team India is ahead of England in the Men’s T20I Team rankings.
Ahead of the high-octane game, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said that his team understands the dynamics of T20 Cricket. He said the team has to be good on that particular day, otherwise, it is not good enough.
“You just have to be good on that particular day, otherwise, it’s not good enough. Certainly, we will have some confidence going into tomorrow’s game, but we just need to be better than them (England) to come out on top. We have got to be at our best to win the game,” the captain said.
Pakistan has already entered the final after defeating New Zealand by 7 wickets in the first semi-final.
Cricket fans in India are already anticipating the final between India and Pakistan. For that to happen, the Men in Blue will have to win the match against England on Thursday.
India have already defeated Pakistan once in this tournament and that was quite a thriller. It was the first game and the Men in Blue were in a very difficult position but India’s ace batsman Virat Kohli rescued the team with his stunning knock of 83.
India topped Group B by winning 4 of 5 matches while England came second in Group A by clinching 3 of 5. India defeated Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Zimbabwe. They lost only one match they had with South Africa.
England: Harry Brook, Alex Hales, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Tymal Mills
India and Pakistan played in front of 90,000 at the MCG during the T20 World Cup (Photo by SURJEET … [+] YADAV/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Could it really happen? Is it written in the stars that fierce rivals India and Pakistan will play in a dream T20 World Cup final at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground?
After two last ball heartbreaking defeats to start the tournament, including to a Virat Kohli-led India at a heaving MCG, Pakistan’s hopes appeared forlorn until – in typical roller-coaster fashion for this traditionally mercurial cricket team – they started getting on a roll.
Pakistan still, however, required a hail mary in the form of the Netherlands beating South Africa, probably the in-form team of the competition. In one of the biggest upsets of all-time, continuing a trend in this engrossing tournament where the smaller countries have closed the gap on the powerhouses, the Dutch caused a major boil over in a famous victory to cause shock waves.
It is the latest cruel exit for South Africa, who are probably lucky the sport isn’t dotted with loud-mouthed talking heads like Skip Bayless to constantly label them as ‘chokers’, which is an unfortunate tag they’ve once again been labelled with.
Netherlands stunned South Africa (Photo by BRENTON EDWARDS/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
It’s all fuelled the realistic possibility of India and Pakistan meeting in a dream final with the teams on a collision course on opposite sides of the draw. India play England in Adelaide on Wednesday, while Pakistan face New Zealand in Sydney on Thursday.
The potential for the bitter rivals to meet once again – the fourth time in recent months amid them not playing against each other in bilaterals due to political differences- has sparked a tournament that has been riveting for cricket purists but failed to captivate mainstream Australia with the tournament played before the peak season of December and January.
Attendances have been modest for non-India games with even defending champions Australia embarrassingly playing in front of sparse crowds. But India have cemented their reputation as cricket’s undisputed drawcard by repeatedly packing Australia’s famed big grounds as underlined by 82,000 attending their MCG clash against smaller nation Zimbabwe.
A throng of reporters from India have also squeezed into overflowing media boxes to provide much needed fervor and non-stop content in a far cry from matches where India aren’t playing. Some nations, including top Full members South Africa and New Zealand, have had barely any of their media contingent travelling for it. Thus there has been an imbalance in coverage though that’s hardly surprising in a sport increasingly skewed to all-powerful India.
The Covid-19 pandemic, along with stripped-back media companies, has undoubtedly contributed to a shortage of travelling journalists but, right now, that hardly matters with India still in the frame, while England and Pakistan are also relatively well represented with reporters on the ground.
The potential of an India-Pakistan final, which would somehow even surpass the surreal scenes of the 90,000-strong raucous MCG crowd from just over two weeks ago, has caused pandemonium and somewhat transcended the tournament.
There was an incredible atmosphere for the clash between India and Pakistan at the MCG. (Photo by … [+] Daniel Pockett-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
ICC via Getty Images
Giddy Indian journalists, some of whom aren’t shy of cheerleading, have even successfully riled up players of opposing teams. “Great news for you guys if it’s the India vs Pakistan final. Look, I don’t know, we are just here to hopefully win on Thursday,” said star all-rounder Ben Stokes in response to a question by an Indian journalist during a press conference on the eve of the blockbuster semi-final between India and England.
If India and Pakistan prevail then Sunday’s contest could well become the most hyped cricket match of all-time. India and Pakistan’s sole World Cup final – in ODIs or T20s – between them was at the original T20 World Cup in 2007 – back when the format was mostly a novelty and the money-spinner and gravity shifting Indian Premier League was still nearly a year away.
The most televised cricket match of all time is reportedly India’s famous victory over Sri Lanka to lift the 2011 World Cup on home soil with over 500 million people worldwide tuning in.
Figures won’t be known until after the event is done and dusted but there is an expectation that an India and Pakistan final could rival that eye-watering number. And also most likely surpass the record cricket crowd at the famous MCG of 93,000 fans who saw Australia win the 2015 World Cup against New Zealand.
Australia claimed the 2015 World Cup against New Zealand at a packed MCG. (Photo by Scott … [+] Barbour-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
ICC via Getty Images
The momentous earlier India and Pakistan contest – probably the greatest T20 match of all time marked by maybe the best innings of all time from the most popular player of this generation amid a febrile atmosphere – has whipped everyone into a frenzy.
It’s not just passionate Indians and Pakistanis wanting their teams there at the end. Every pure cricket fan, deep down, wants this epic rivalry – laced with such heated politics in the backdrop only for the games to be played amid such stirring spirit – to re-emerge on the grandest stage of all.
England and New Zealand, almost forgotten amid the bedlam, have other ideas.
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has told CNN he had information from within intelligence agencies that the shooting which injured him last week would take place.
When asked by CNN’s Becky Anderson on Monday what information he had been given on the incident, and by whom, Khan said: “Remember, three and a half years I was in power. I have connections with intelligence agencies, the different agencies that operate. How did I get the information? From within the intelligence agencies. Why? Because most people are appalled by what is going on in this country.”
Speaking from his residence in Zaman Park, Lahore, Khan referred to a speech he made on September 24 in which he said he outlined how the events of the shooting would transpire.
Last Friday, Khan blamed establishment figures for a plot to kill him – a claim strenuously denied by governing and security officials.
On Monday, he told Anderson: “As the events unfolded, they are in that speech. How this would happen, how in the name of blasphemy a religious fanatic would kill me and they would blame it on him. All this is in my speech which I put on television – it’s on social media.”
When asked about suggestions from his critics that accusing the current government of perpetrating the attack would help Khan get back into office, he replied that he doesn’t “need any reason to accuse this government for me to get back into power,” adding that his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party remains popular since his ousting in April.
“They tried everything to somehow get me out of the way. When that didn’t happen, this was planned,” he added.
One person died in Thursday’s attack which injured several others, while Khan was taken to a hospital in Lahore for treatment after a bullet hit his leg. Speaking from the hospital on Friday, and without offering evidence, Khan blamed Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif, interior minister Rana Sanaullah and Maj. Gen. Faisal, who is a senior intelligence official. CNN is reaching out to the three men for comment.
Pakistan’s Ministry for Information and Broadcasting last week denied Khan’s allegations against Sharif and Sanaullah at a news conference.
Pakistan’s military has also hit back at Khan’s claims, calling them “baseless and irresponsible” and “absolutely unacceptable and uncalled for.” In a statement on Friday night, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) called Khan’s accusations against the military and military officials “highly regrettable and strongly condemned.”
“Pakistan army prides itself for being an extremely professional and well-disciplined organisation with a robust and highly effective internal accountability system applicable across the board for unlawful acts, if any, committed by uniformed personnel,” the statement read.
“However, if the honour, safety and prestige of its rank and file is being tarnished by vested interests through frivolous allegations, the institution will jealousy safeguard its officers and soldiers no matter what,” it continued.
CNN reported earlier on Monday that Khan wrote a letter to Pakistani president Arif Alvi saying since Khan’s government was removed from power in April, his party had been confronted with “an ever-increasing scale of false allegations, harassment, arrests and custodial torture.”
The letter, obtained by CNN from a source close to the former prime minister, is dated November 6, three days after Khan survived the shooting.
Pakistan is suffering after devastating floods submerged one-third of the country. As the COP27 global climate change conference gets under way, Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi asks whether leaders are willing to commit to meaningful solutions.
LAHORE, Pakistan — Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan said Sunday that a protest march toward the capital suspended after he was wounded by a gunshot in an apparent attempt on his life will resume Tuesday.
Sitting in a wheelchair, his right leg bandaged and elevated, Khan spoke from the Shaukat Khanum hospital, where he was admitted Thursday after he received bullet wounds in his right leg.
Khan repeated his demand for an investigation into the shooting and the resignation of three powerful personalities in the government and the military whom he alleges were involved in staging the attack on him.
Khan’s march on the capital was suspended in Wazirabad, a district in eastern Punjab province, after a gunman opened fire, wounding him and killing one of his supporters. Thirteen others were hurt. He said the march would pick up again from Wazirabad.
Khan was ousted from office in April in a no-confidence vote in parliament. He organized a march on Islamabad to pressure Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government to hold early elections but Sharif says elections will take place as scheduled, in 2023. Khan led an initial protest march in May but it ended when supporters clashed with police in the capital.
Khan’s protest march, which started Oct 28, was peaceful until Thursday’s attack. The shooting has raised concerns about growing political instability in Pakistan, which has a history of political violence and assassinations.
Khan said the march, to be resumed Tuesday, will take 10 to 15 days to reach Rawalpindi, where convoys from other parts of the country are expected to join the rally. He said he will keep in touch with the main march participants through a media link and will eventually lead the “sea of people’” toward Islamabad.
Khan accused Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan and army Gen. Faisal Naseer of working with the Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan’s spy agency, to orchestrate the shooting. The minister and the former premier are not related.
Khan offered no evidence for his allegations, which were rejected by Sharif’s government and the military spokesman said the allegations were not true.
Khan was discharged from the hospital later Sunday and moved to his ancestral home in Lahore.
Tensions escalated in Pakistan on Friday as former Prime Minister Imran Khan blamed establishment figures for a plot to kill him – a claim strenuously denied by governing and security officials.
A day after after he survived a shooting at a political rally outside the town of Gujranwala, Punjab province, Khan gave a rambling speech at a hospital in the city of Lahore where he was recovering from the injuries he sustained. While sitting in a wheelchair, the cricket star-turned-politician cited three senior figures as being behind the attack.
The former Pakistan leader sustained a fracture to his right leg due to stray bullet wounds, Dr. Faisal Sultan told reporters. Sultan displayed X-rays showing the fracture in Khan’s right leg, and bullet fragments that were lodged in two sides of his thigh.
Without offering evidence, Khan blamed Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif, interior minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal, who is a senior intelligence official. CNN is reaching out to the three men for comment.
Khan first alleged on Thursday that the trio were responsible for the plot, in a statement shared by PTI senior leader Asad Umar, who said he had recently spoke to Khan.
In a televised address on Thursday, Sanaullah rejected the accusation, calling it “grievous.”
Pakistan’s intelligence agency also rebutted Khan’s claims that a senior intelligence official was behind the shooting, with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) telling CNN in a statement that the accusations are “baseless.”
“This is an attempt to prejudice the investigation from the very beginning. The organization had already sensitized the federal government about the threat to the former prime minister, who had communicated this to the Punjab provincial government,” the statement read.
The ISI also said that Khan’s security was under the authority of the provincial government of Punjab, which is led by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
“The security of the former PM was the responsibility of the PTI led government in the province of Punjab. The incident of the shooting is a security lapse on behalf of the government of Punjab and cannot be attributed to any individual or any security agency. The need of the hour is for calm in the country and not for irresponsible statements,” the ISI said in a statement.
Khan had said he knew about the plot to kill him a day before it happened, and claimed there were two shooters involved in his attack.
“There was a burst from one side, and another coming from the front. There were two people,” Khan said when talking about the attack.
Khan has locked horns with the government since his dramatic ouster in a no-confidence vote in April. During that time, he’s repeatedly claimed, without any evidence, that the United States was behind his loss of power.
One person died in Thursday’s attack which injured several others and prompted protests among Khan’s supporters.
Video of the alleged attack shows Khan waving from an open-topped truck, when shots rang out, sending his party members ducking for cover.
A bullet hit Khan in the leg, said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Asad Umar, who later added: “Yes, he has been shot, there are pellets lodged in his leg, his bone has been chipped, he has also been shot in his thigh.”
A man suspected of firing shots at the rally was detained on Thursday, according to police.
On Thursday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information released a video of a confession from an unnamed man who it claims carried out the attack.
Khan called on citizens to protest against the three officials he alleges planned his attack until they resign.
“As long as these three men don’t resign, you have to protest, against unfairness, you must do a jihad against them, jihad means to stand against injustice,” Khan said Friday.
Khan said as soon as he recovers from his shooting attack he will resume his so-called Long March to Islamabad calling for early elections. He was on the seventh day of the nationwide tour, which started in Lahore on October 28 and was due to finish in Islamabad after winding through several Pakistani cities.
It’s among a number of rallies the former Pakistani cricket captain has held since his ousting in April.
Thursday’s incident is not the first time that Pakistani politicians have been attacked.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, and then-Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani survived an assassination attempt in 2008.
Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, was shot and injured while leading a protest in the country. CBS News foreign correspondent Imtiaz Tyab explains what we’ve learned about the situation and what the political climate in the country has been since Khan was ousted from power.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan (R) addresses his supporters during an anti-government march towards capital Islamabad, demanding early elections, in Gujranwala on November 1, 2022.
Arif Ali | AFP | Getty Images
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday was shot and wounded while leading a massive protest march in the country’s eastern city of Wazirabad.
Mohammad Atif Khan, a close aide of the former PM and senior leader in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said Khan was shot in the leg and taken to hospital. Another PTI leader, Faisal Khan, was also injured, Atif Khan told NBC.
He said that two armed men opened fire and were immediately taken into custody by police. He also said that one of the assailants was beaten by the mob and reportedly died, according to NBC. An as-yet-unknown number of Imran Khan’s supporters who were present at the rally were also reportedly injured.
The PTI party called the shooting an “assassination attempt” in a tweet posted shortly after Khan was taken for treatment. Senior PTI member and former information minister Fawad Ahmed Chaudhry said in an impromptu speech following the shooting: “This is not only an assassination attempt on Imran Khan, but attack on Pakistan itself.”
Within an hour of the shooting, videos were being shared on social media which appeared to show Khan standing up with one bandaged leg and waving to supporters, holding one fist inthe air.
Ousted Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan (C) waves at his party supporters during a rally in Islamabad on May 26, 2022.
Aamir Qureshi | Afp | Getty Images
The protest on Thursday was part of a week-long tour aimed at drumming up support for toppling the current government of opponent Shehbaz Sharif and forcing early elections.
The 70-year-old Khan, a former cricket star who became Pakistan’s prime minister in 2018, was ousted from power in April of this year after a no-confidence vote by opposition lawmakers alleging corruption and unconstitutional actions, charges backed up by the country’s Supreme Court.
In October, Pakistan’s election commission passed a ruling barring Khan from holding office again, sparking outrage among his many supporters who claim foul play.
Khan and his supporters say his ousting was a conspiracy planned by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the United States, the latter of which has a long and complicated relationship with the Pakistani government. Sharif and Washington deny the accusations.
In the months since his removal from office, Khan has soared in popularity among Pakistanis, many of whom across the country of 225 million are struggling given rising inflation and living costs.
Pakistan was plunged into greater turmoil after floods in June caused by abnormally heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers engulfed some 30% of the country, killing nearly 2,000 people and potentially pushing as many as 9 million into poverty, according to the World Bank.
Khan, the former cricket captain, is seen by many in and around Pakistan as something of a common man’s hero. He is openly critical of the United States — a major military aid provider — and Pakistan’s own powerful military, which has been responsible for leadership coups in the past.
“For six months I have been witnessing a revolution taking over the country,” Khan wrote on Monday, describing the crowds of protesters supporting him. “Only question is will it be a soft one through the ballot box or a destructive one through bloodshed?”
Khan’s legal troubles only seem to have made him more popular among his base, who believe he will make a comeback and become prime minister again in elections that would be held by next year. Some political analysts see him as a likely favorite as well, and many expect the charges against him to be dropped.
Khan is one of the most famous figures in Pakistan and the wider South Asian region, known for leading Pakistan’s national cricket team to glory in the 1980s and 90s. He later transitioned to politics, founding the PTI in 1996.
Khan’s political career was marked by losses until his party, running on a populist platform, won the most seats in Pakistan’s National Assembly in 2018 and he led the governing coalition as prime minister.
A gunman opened fire on a protest march in Pakistan, shooting former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in the leg, according to officials—the latest attack aimed at a Pakistani leader—although the shooter’s identity and motive were not immediately disclosed.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was injured when a gunman opened fire Thursday on an envoy … [+] of his supporters, who were demanding the country hold spot elections to bring the ousted leader back into office.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Pakistani police said the attack took place in the Wazirabad district in the country’s eastern Punjab province, where Khan’s vehicle was part of a convoy carrying a large group of supporters demonstrating for snap elections, the Associated Press reported—Khan was ousted from office after losing a vote of no confidence in April.
Officials told France’s AFP the attack was an “attempt to kill” Khan—it’s the latest assassination report targeting senior Pakistani officials, following the 2007 killing of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the 2011 assassination of Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer.
Several others were injured in the attack, while Khan was taken to the hospital after a man opened fire with an automatic weapon, according to party official Asad Umar, multiple outlets reported.
A male suspect, who was not immediately identified, has been arrested, Pakistan’s Geo TV reported.
Key Background
Khan launched a protest march from the city of Lahore, in the eastern part of the country, to the capital Islamabad last week, demanding the country hold spot elections after being booted from office in April, after losing a vote of no confidence. He also blamed the United States and Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif for carrying out an alleged conspiracy to take over the government—both Sharif and the U.S. have denied those allegations. Thursday’s assassination attempt comes 15 years after a teenage suicide bomber killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was campaigning for her third term, after having previously been removed from power following her election as prime minister in the 1990s. Former Punjab Gov. Salman Taseer was shot by one of his bodyguards in 2011, who reportedly carried out the shooting because Taseer opposed Pakistan’s blasphemy law, the BBC reported, citing a police guard. In 1988, former Pakistani President Zia ul-Haq and 10 of his army generals died in a plane crash, which was later determined to have likely been an act of sabotage committed using explosives.
Tangent
The assassination attempt is the latest attack targeting a senior official in recent months. In July, a gunman killed former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe while he was campaigning for a party candidate in Nara, Japan, using a homemade gun (political violence is rare in Japan, where handguns are banned). Last week, a man broke into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), attacking her husband Paul Pelosi, reportedly in hopes of taking the speaker hostage, yelling “Where is Nancy?” Political violence and violent threats have been on the rise in the U.S. in recent months, following the January 6 insurrection, when rioters stormed the Capitol demanding Pelosi and former Vice President Mike Pence overturn the results of the 2020 election, chanting “hang Mike Pence.”
Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot in the foot at a rally Thursday, according to an official from his party, which said the incident was an assassination attempt.
A bullet hit Khan in his foot after a gunman opened fire, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Asad Umar said.
The former Pakistan cricket captain was taken from the rally site just outside the town of Gujranwala to receive treatment in Lahore.
Police said they detained a man suspected of firing shots at the rally. The male suspect was arrested with a 9mm pistol and two empty magazines, police said.
At least one person was killed in the incident, according to Faisal Javed, a senior PTI politician and close Khan ally who received a wound to the head in the attack. The victim’s name has not been released.
In a video statement Javed, who can be seen sitting up while receiving treatment, said: “Please pray for us, for Imran Khan, pray for our fellow workers who are severely injured and pray for our party member who has died and is martyred.”
At least two other people were injured by gunfire.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who came to power after Khan lost a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April, condemned Thursday’s attack on his political rival on Twitter.
“I condemn the incident of firing on PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the strongest words,” Sharif wrote, adding that he has asked for an “immediate report on the incident” and will pray for the recovery of those injured.
“Violence should have no place in our country’s politics,” Sharif wrote.
On October 21, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recommended that Khan be disqualified from holding political office for five years, a move likely to further inflame political tensions in the country.
While reading out the recommendation, ECP chief Sikandar Sultan Raja stated that Khan was disqualified for being involved in “corrupt practices.”
The commission said its decision was based on the grounds that Khan had “made false statements” regarding the declaration of the sale of gifts sent to him by the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Dubai while in office – an offense that is illegal under the country’s constitution.
Khan was unseated in a vote of no-confidence following claims of bad governance and economic mismanagement.
Since then he has repeatedly claimed, without providing any evidence, that the United States had orchestrated his ouster. Khan’s allegations have become a staple at rallies he has held across Pakistan in a bid to return to power.
His claims have struck a chord with a young population in a country where anti-American sentiment runs high, and anti-establishment feelings are being fueled by a rising cost of living crisis.
This is not the first time that Pakistani politicians have been attacked.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, and then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani survived an assassination attempt in 2008.
ISLAMABAD — A gunman opened fire at a campaign truck carrying Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday, wounding him slightly and also some of his supporters, a senior leader from his party and police said.
Party official Asad Umar said Khan was wounded in the leg and was not seriously hurt. The identity of the gunman, who was arrested at the scene, was not immediately known. No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
According to police, the attack happened in the Wazirabad district in the eastern Punjab province where Khan was traveling in a large convoy of trucks and cars heading towards the capital, Islamabad, as part of his campaign aimed at forcing the government to hold early elections.
The motives of the attacker were unknown, and it was also unclear whether the shooting was an attempt on Khan’s life.
The shooting underscored the growing political instability in Pakistan, with both the government and Khan — a former cricket star turned Islamist politician — refusing to back down from their positions. The country’s powerful military has said that although Khan had a democratic right to hold a rally in Islamabad, no one will be allowed to destabilize the country. Authorities in Islamabad have already deployed additional security around the city to deter any clashes or violence.
Khan with later seen with a bandage on his right leg, just above the foot, according to reports and a blurry image. He was moved to another vehicle from his container truck, from where announcements were being made that he was safe.
“He is being taken to a hospital in Lahore, but he is not seriously wounded. A bullet hit him in the leg,” Umar told reporters. According to the Interior Ministry, the government has ordered a probe into the incident.
An unspecified number of supporters from his Tehreek-e-Insaf party who were part of the march were also wounded, according to the announcement from the party.
The attack happened less than a week after Khan began his march from Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, along with thousands of supporters.
Since his ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April, Khan has alleged that his ouster was a conspiracy engineered by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the United States — claims that both the new premier and Washington have denied.
Sharif’s government has also said that there would be no early vote and that the next elections will be held according to schedule, in 2023.
Khan’s latest challenge to the government comes after Pakistan’s elections commission disqualified him from holding public office for five years for allegedly selling state gifts unlawfully and concealing assets as premier.
Khan, who has challenged the disqualification in a pending court case, has said he would sue Chief Election Commissioner Sikandara Raja, who was behind the decision, for calling him a “dishonest person.”
It was also not immediately known if Khan’s convoy would proceed on to Islamabad. Earlier, Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader in Khan’s party, had said they plan to enter Islamabad on Friday.
The attack also comes at a time when impoverished Pakistan is grappling with the aftermath of unprecedented floods that struck this Islamic nation over the summer, killing 1,735 people and displacing 33 million.
Pakistani actor Sehar Shinwari has said that if Zimbabwe beats India in the upcoming T20 match, she will marry a Zimbabwean guy. The actor took to Twitter and talked about the two teams which will come face-to-face on Sunday, November 6.
Shinwari was constantly wishing that India loses the match against Bangladesh. Twitter users have been trolling her for the latest post where she claims to marry a Zimbabwean guy.
Her tweet stating, “I’ll marry a Zimbabwean guy, if their team miraculously beats India in next match,” has more than 3,320 likes and has been retweeted 202 times.
I’ll marry a Zimbabwean guy, if their team miraculously beats India in next match 🙂
In last week’s Pakistan-Zimbabwe match, the Pakistan team had lost by one run. The defeat has put Pakistan team in danger of getting out from the Twenty20 World Cup.
India hasn’t yet qualified for the semi-finals and hence all eyes are now on its match against Zimbabwe at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. India is currently at top of the table with 6 points from its four matches.
For Pakistan to maintain its spot in the tournament, it has to win Thursday’s match against South Africa followed by a win against Bangladesh on November 6. For things to go in Pakistan’s favour, South Africa must also lose their match against the Netherlands. Without this, Pakistan won’t be able to qualify for the T20 World Cup semis.
LAHORE, Pakistan — A female journalist was crushed to death Sunday in Pakistan while covering a political march led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, a senior police officer said.
Sadaf Naeem, 36, a television journalist with Channel 5 in Lahore, was crushed to death after she slipped from the container truck Khan was traveling in, said Salman Zafar, assistant superintendent in Kamuke, one of the towns on the march’s path.
Khan’s convoy was making its way through Punjab province toward Islamabad on the march’s third day. The demonstrators were challenging Khan’s successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his government, demanding snap elections. It was the practice of Khan’s convoy team to invite a few journalists at a time onto the top of the truck to speak to Khan.
“Shocked & deeply saddened by the terrible accident that led to the death of Channel 5 reporter Sadaf Naeem during our March today,” Khan said in a tweet. “I have no words to express my sorrow. My prayers & condolences go to the family at this tragic time. We have cancelled our March for today.”
Sharif also expressed his condolences to Naeem’s bereaved family, announcing a roughly $20,000 donation to her relatives.
“Deeply saddened by the death of reporter Sadaf Naeem after falling from a long march container,” Sharif said in a tweet. “Cannot feel sad enough over this tragic incident. Heartfelt condolences to the family. Sadaf Naeem was a dynamic and hardworking reporter. We pray for patience for the family of the deceased.”
Naeem was the breadwinner for her family and had worked as a journalist for 12 years. Pakistani officials say they will bear the living costs and educational expenses of her two children, aged 17 and 21.
About 10,000 of Khan’s supporters, many of them piled into hundreds of trucks and cars, left from Lahore on Friday.
The convoy’s journey, expected to be capped with an open-ended rally in Islamabad, could present a significant challenge to the new administration. The rally could potentially also turn violent if police move in to disperse Khan’s supporters.
Saifullah Paracha, a former detainee at the Guatanamo Bay detention facility, has been repatriated to Pakistan, according to a statement from the Department of Defense.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin previously notified Congress in September of his intent to repatriate Paracha, who had been held in US detention since 2003 for alleged ties to al Qaeda.
The Defense Department statement said that “the United States appreciates the willingness of Pakistan and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility.”
A statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Paracha had arrived in the country on Saturday, adding that the Foreign Ministry “completed an extensive inter-agency process to facilitate the repatriation of Mr. Paracha.”
“We are glad that a Pakistani citizen detained abroad is finally reunited with his family,” the statement continued.
Maya Foa, the director of Reprieve, a prisoner advocacy group working with Paracha, said, “Saifullah is returning to his family as a frail old man, having been taken from them in the prime of his life. That injustice can never be rectified.”
Paracha, 75, had significant health issues while in US custody. He suffered his third heart attack (his second while in US custody) in June 2020, according to a statement from Reprieve. He was the oldest prisoner at Guantanamo Bay at the time of his release.
Foa thanked the Biden administration for the decision to release Paracha but pressed the White House to close Guantanamo Bay permanently.
“The Biden administration deserves some credit for expediting the release of Guantanamo detainees who were never charged with a crime, but the USA’s embrace of indefinite detention without trial has done lasting damage,” Foa said. “We can only begin to repair it when Guantánamo is closed for good.”
Thirty-five detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon said in its statement Saturday, adding that, “20 are eligible for transfer; 3 are eligible for a Periodic Review Board; 9 are involved in the military commissions process; and 3 detainees have been convicted in military commissions.”
This story has been updated with additional reaction.
ISLAMABAD — A 75-year-old from Pakistan who was the oldest prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center was released and returned to Pakistan on Saturday, the foreign ministry in Islamabad and the U.S. Defense Department said.
Saifullah Paracha was reunited with his family after more than 17 years in custody in the U.S. base in Cuba, the ministry added.
Paracha had been held on suspicion of ties to al-Qaida since 2003, but was never charged with a crime. Last year in May, he was notified that he had been been approved for release. He was cleared by the prisoner review board, along with two other men in November 2020.
As is customary, the notification did not provide detailed reasoning for the decision and concluded only that Paracha is “not a continuing threat” to the United States, according to Shelby Sullivan-Bennis, who represented him at his hearing at the time.
The DOD said in its Saturday statement that the U.S. appreciates “the willingness of Pakistan and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility.”
In Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it had completed an extensive inter-agency process to facilitate Paracha’s repatriation.
“We are glad that a Pakistani citizen detained abroad is finally reunited with his family,” the ministry said.
Paracha, who lived in the United States and owned property in New York City, was a wealthy businessman in Pakistan. Authorities alleged he was an al-Qaida “facilitator” who helped two of the conspirators in the Sept. 11 plot with a financial transaction.
He has maintained that he didn’t know they were al-Qaida and denied any involvement in terrorism.
The U.S. captured Paracha in Thailand in 2003 and held him at Guantanamo since September 2004. Washington has long asserted that it can hold detainees indefinitely without charge under the international laws of war.
In November 2020, Paracha, who suffers from a number of ailments, including diabetes and a heart condition, made his eighth appearance before the review board, which was established under President Barack Obama to try to prevent the release of prisoners who authorities believed might engage in anti-U.S. hostilities upon their release from Guantanamo.
At the time, his attorney, Sullivan-Bennis, said she was more optimistic about his prospects because of President Joe Biden’s election, Paracha’s ill health and developments in a legal case involving his son, Uzair Paracha.
The son was convicted in 2005 in federal court in New York of providing support to terrorism, based in part on testimony from the same witnesses held at Guantanamo whom the U.S. relied on to justify holding the father.
In March 2020, after a judge threw out those witness accounts and the U.S. government decided not to seek a new trial, the younger Paracha was released and sent back to Pakistan.
In its statement on the elder Paracha’s repatriation, the DOD said 35 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay as of Saturday, and that of 20 of them are eligible for transfer.
———
Associated Press writer Thomas Strong in Washington contributed to this report.
Virat Kohli’s match-winning innings against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup match in Melbourne has brought him appreciation from across the country’s political spectrum.
“The India team bags a well fought victory! Congratulations for an outstanding performance today. A special mention to Virat Kohli for a spectacular innings in which he demonstrated remarkable tenacity. Best wishes for the games ahead,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
It looked nearly impossible for India to win when they were reduced to 31/4 in less than seven overs while chasing 160. After that, Kohli and Hardik Pandya put together a 113-run stand as they began to rebuild the game. Kohli scored 82 off 53 balls while remaining undefeated, hitting six fours and four sixes, to lead his team to a four-wicket victory after Pandya was bowled for 40.
While Kohli himself reacted to the stunning victory by saying “It just happens,” political leaders were thrilled with praise for the former India captain’s brilliant knock and the Indian team’s tenacity, which brought them laurels.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah showered praises for Kohli. He tweeted, “A perfect way to start the T20 World Cup. Deepawali begins. What a cracking innings by @imVKohli. Congratulations to the entire team.”
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the Indian team’s performance and lauded Kohli for his best innings.
“A phenomenal effort by Team India against Pakistan in Melbourne today. Virat Kohli played one of the finest innings of his life! This incredible victory has delighted all Indian cricket fans around the world. Congratulations to Team India on this spectacular victory,” he said.
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi wished India’s victory as “one of the greatest victories under pressure” and wished the team “best of luck” in the tournament’s remaining matches.
Rohit Sharma (C) of India and Babar Azam (C) of Pakistan pose ahead of the T20 World Cup. (Photo by … [+] Martin Keep- ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
ICC via Getty Images
Indicative of the magnetic power of bitter rivals India and Pakistan, rare contests which provide a spell on the entire cricket world, especially their legions of obsessive fans, predicting Melbourne’s temperamental weather has become something of a pastime in recent days.
The forecast for the T20 World Cup blockbuster days out looked dire for the packed clash on Sunday at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, expected to attract more than 92,000 fans, a figure that is only bettered by Grand Finals in the Australian Football League – the indigenous ‘footy’ code being the most popular sport Down Under.
Prognosticating Melbourne’s weather is almost pointless. Anyone who has been there can attest that with Victoria’s capital renowned for having four seasons in one day and, fortunately, perhaps willed by the hopes of the entire cricket world, the forecast has improved dramatically and on match eve there appears little prospect of inclement conditions.
The International Cricket Council, most notably, will be breathing a sigh of relief with Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph reporting that refunds would have cost the governing body several millions if it was a washout. Wild weather lashed the east coast of Australia last week although the tournament’s opening week in Geelong and Hobart was mostly unaffected.
Fans too will be overjoyed with India and Pakistan rarely playing each other in cricket—a sport that is almost a religion across a region of about 1.6 billion people – due to political differences with India’s government not allowing its national cricket team to play their arch-nemesis in bilaterals.
The iconic MCG will be at near capacity for the blockbuster match (Photo by SURJEET YADAV/AFP via … [+] Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Even though it is a travesty that they don’t play each other in Tests, the last being 15 years ago, the scarcity does add to the anticipation with massive television numbers guaranteed every time they do meet.
The foes produced the highest watched match of the men’s World Cup in 2019 with a worldwide television audience of 273 million and more than 50 million digital-only viewers, according to the ICC.
It is not hyperbolic to state that it will be the most watched sports event in the world this weekend.
And it will be the third match between them in the past couple of months with the teams splitting five-wicket victories at the Asia Cup. But politics continue to fester in the backdrop, interfering this wonderful rivalry, underlined by BCCI secretary Jay Shah, probably the most influential figure in cricket who doubles as the Asian Cricket Council president, publicly stating that next year’s Asia Cup will have to be shifted away from Pakistan.
The final decision is expected from India’s home ministry although India’s sports minister Anurag Thakur said he is “expecting” Pakistan to play the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
After a long period as vagabonds, unable to play at home most of last decade due to security concerns, Pakistan have returned home and even hosted previously reticent Australia and England this year. Enticing India, however, looms as an entirely different challenge.
Attempting to thaw relations, Pakistan Cricket Board boss Ramiz Raja, the charismatic former captain then turned popular broadcaster, has tried to pursue more cordial relations with his counterparts since taking the reins just over 12 months ago.
He has proposed more matches between Pakistan and India through triangular and quadrangular One-Day International series although they haven’t gotten off the ground just yet.
India and Pakistan have had an epic rivalry over the years. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Getty Images
“We saw the world stop when India and Pakistan played at the Asia Cup,” Raja recently told me. ”We have that power at the Asian level to organize more Asia Cups which would see more matches between India and Pakistan. It’s an iconic rivalry, the people want it. The more the merrier.”
Unlike his predecessor Ehsan Mani, a former ICC president, who recently told me that India shouldn’t have the lion share of the ICC’s revenue funding, Raja has been much more diplomatic.
In the ICC’s current cycle surplus from 2015-2023, according to documents seen, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) receive $371 million well ahead of England ($127 million) while seven Full Members, including Pakistan, are allocated $117 million.
“I’m happy for India to take the most because they make almost all of what is in the ICC’s coffers,” Raja said.
The teams themselves have seemingly gotten on well with each other, playing with smiles and sportsmanship, which should act as a unifying tool, something that political and cricket leaders from both countries would be wise to take heed of.
But with all eyes watching, fueled by massive stakes in the T20 World Cup opener for both teams, the MCG will be a cauldron amid an electric atmosphere crammed with probably the two most passionate fan bases in cricket.
India and Pakistan are set to resume their cricket rivalry when they meet in their T20 World Cup opener in Melbourne on Sunday.
It will be the 12th time that both teams will face each other in cricket’s shortest format.
India hold a clear lead in the head-to-head record, with nine wins against Pakistan’s three.
However, Pakistan have won two of the last three matches between the two sides.
Here is a look at five of the most thrilling T20 matches between these two.
Final, World T20 2007 (Johannesburg)
A World Cup final between India and Pakistan, a last-over finish, an improvised shot gone wrong.
It was as good as a cricket final could get.
The match brought unbridled joy to India and heartbreak to Pakistan, this encounter from the first ever T20 World Cup in South Africa is arguably their most epic match in the shortest format of the game.
MS Dhoni chose to bat first against Pakistan’s much-fancied bowling lineup. His team ended up setting a target of 158, thanks to a 54-ball 75 from Gautam Gambhir and a late blitz by Rohit Sharma. Pakistan’s chase was staggered with a regular loss of wickets before Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq managed to put it back on track.
With six needed off the last four balls, Misbah scooped Joginder Sharma but was caught at short fine-leg. It resulted in one of the most iconic images in cricket history: Misbah crouched on the pitch in disbelief as Indian players erupt in joy around him.
It was the match that endeared the T20 format to millions of Indian cricket fans and subsequently bankrolled millions of dollars into the game in the form of the Indian Premier League in 2008.
India’s players celebrate their victory as Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq walks off the field after the World Twenty20 cricket final [Mike Hutchings/Reuters]
Group match, T20 World Cup 2021 (Dubai)
Pakistan went into this game with the ignominious record of having never beaten India in a World Cup match.
The pre-match analysis placed India as favourites based on this record and India’s ranking.
With a strong bowling lineup led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam chose to field first.
Afridi, who has a knack for picking up wickets in his first over, got rid of KL Rahul off the fourth delivery and Rohit Sharma in his second over. India managed to reach 157.
Pakistan’s batting boasted the top T20-opening pair of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan. The openers lived up to their reputation and took Pakistan home for an astonishing 10-wicket win that left the fans and pundits befuddled.
Pakistan had finally broken the World Cup curse against India.
Shaheen Afridi ran rampage against the Indian top order in their 2021 T20 World Cup [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]
Group match, T20 World Cup 2007 (Durban)
The inaugural T20 World Cup produced two thrilling finishes in cricket’s most intense rivalry. While the final took the limelight, India and Pakistan played another closely fought match in the group stages. In fact, it was as close as it could get – a tie.
India’s total of 141 was built around Robin Uthappa’s half-century, and contributions from captain MS Dhoni and all-rounder Irfan Pathan. Mohammad Asif, Pakistan’s wily fast-bowler, took four wickets for 18 runs.
For Pakistan, most of the runs came from Misbah-ul-Haq and captain Shoaib Malik. Pakistan drew level on runs with two balls to go, when Misbah was runout.
Instead of a super over, the rules then stipulated that a tie be broken with a bowl-out – cricket’s version of penalties. India’s bowlers hit the stumps on their first three attempts while Pakistan missed all three, handing India a rare bowl-out win of 3-0.
India beat Pakistan 3-0 in a five-ball bowl-out to decide their match after the match had finished in a tie [Rogan Ward/Reuters]
Super Four, Asia Cup 2022 (Dubai)
This was the teams’ second meeting in the Asia Cup 2022, with India recording a five-wicket win in the group stages.
Both teams advanced to the Super Fours, where they had to win two matches to have a chance of qualifying for the final.
In the 2021 World Cup win, Pakistan were aided by the brilliance of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling, and the unbreakable Babar-Rizwan partnership. This time around Afridi was injured and Babar was facing a dip in form.
India looked comfortable against Pakistan’s pace attack until Haris Rauf dismissed Rohit Sharma. It was then down to Pakistan’s spinners to restrict India, who finished at 181-7.
Pakistan had to rely on their lower-order lineup of all-rounders and big hitters in order to avenge their group-stage loss in the tournament. Mohammad Nawaz came to the rescue with a 20-ball 41 as Pakistan got home with one ball to spare in a tense finish.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz’s rear guard action took Pakistan home [Satish Kumar/Reuters]
Asia Cup 2016 (Mirpur)
India came into this match as favourites with a star-studded lineup and good recent form.
When MS Dhoni put Pakistan into bat, he wouldn’t have predicted his opponents to fold as quickly as they did. Apart from Khurram Manzoor’s 10 and Sarfaraz Ahmed’s 25, none of the Pakistan batters reached double figures.
India had a seemingly easy task in front of them, chasing Pakistan’s 83. But Mohammad Amir, the left-arm fast bowler making his international return after serving his spot-fixing ban, had other plans. He dismissed both Indian openers in his first over and then Suresh Raina in his second, to leave India at 8-3 in three overs.
This was when Virat Kohli took over the job of rebuilding India’s chase and saw out Amir. Kohli was dismissed on 49, but he had taken India within eight runs of the total. India ended up winning by five wickets.
India won the 2016 Asia Cup match by five wickets [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
After four years, Pakistan has been taken off from the infamous grey list of FATF, the global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering, in the wake of Islamabad’s “high-level political commitment” in dealing with the menace and carry out reforms in its existing monitoring mechanism. Significantly, for the first time, the FATF put Myanmar in the “high-risk jurisdictions subject to a call for action”, often referred to as the watchdog’s black list. Iran and North Korea continue to be in the black list.
In other decisions, Russia was barred from participating in future projects of FATF. In a statement, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said it welcomes Pakistan’s significant progress in improving its anti-money laundering, and combating financial terrorism (AML/CFT) regime. The decision was taken by the FATF in its plenary held in Paris on October 20-21.
Later at a virtual press conference, FATF president T Raja Kumar, who is from Singapore, said Pakistan has largely addressed all the 34 items given by the FATF. “The FATF looked into the mechanism put in place by Pakistan to combat financial terrorism and money laundering. The team went down to Pakistan and found the high level political commitment of Pakistan not only act to combat financial terrorism and money laundering but ensuring reforms and strengthen the system,” he said.
Kumar said there has been significant progress on the part of Pakistan to combat financial terrorism and money laundering which resulted Pakistan being taken off from the increased monitoring mechanism or the grey list. However, he said, Pakistan still needs to continue to work in this regard and the FATF encourages Pakistan to cooperate with the FATF’s Asia Pacific Group to combat financial terrorism and money laundering.
The FATF statement said Pakistan has strengthened the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime and addressed technical deficiencies to meet the commitments of its action plans regarding strategic deficiencies that the FATF identified in June 2018 and June 2021, the latter of which was completed in advance of the deadlines, encompassing 34 action items in total.
“Pakistan is therefore no longer subject to the FATF’s increased monitoring process. Pakistan will continue to work with APG to further improve its AML/CFT system,” the statement said. With Pakistan’s exit from the “grey list”, Islamabad may now free try to get financial aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Union (EU), to boost its cash-strapped economy.
On Russia, Kumar said the move comes in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. He said Russia’s actions continued to violate FATF’s core principles, which aim to promote the security, safety and integrity of financial systems. In 2018, the FATF had found Pakistan’s deficiencies in its legal, financial, regulatory, investigation, prosecution, judicial and non-government sectors to fight money laundering and combat terror financing, which are considered serious threats to the global financial system.
Till June, Pakistan had completed most of the action items given to it by the FATF in 2018 and only a few items that were left unfulfilled included its failure to take action against UN-designated terrorists, including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and his trusted aide and the group’s “operational commander”, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Azhar, Saeed and Lakhvi are most-wanted terrorists in India for their involvement in numerous terror acts, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the bombing of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bus in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama in 2019. A 15-member joint delegation of the FATF and its Sydney-based regional affiliate — Asia Pacific Group– paid an onsite visit to Pakistan from August 29 to September 2 to verify the country’s compliance with the 34-point action plan committed with the FATF.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique were added to the grey list while Nicaragua was removed along with Pakistan. The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terror financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. India is a member of the FATF consultations and its Asia Pacific Group. The FATF Plenary is the decision-making body of the FATF.
Delegates representing 206 members of the Global Network and observer organisations, including the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, the World Bank and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units, took part in a two-day meeting in Paris. It was the first Plenary meeting to be held under the Singapore Presidency of T Raja Kumar.
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s elections commission on Friday disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan from holding public office for five years, after finding he had unlawfully sold state gifts and concealed assets as premier, officials said.
The move is likely to deepen lingering political turmoil in the impoverished Islamic country struggling with a spiraling economy, food shortages and the aftermath of unprecedented floods this summer that killed 1,725 people, displaced hundreds of thousands and triggered a surge in malaria and other flood-related disease.
The announcement by the commission comes as Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the parliament in April, has been rallying supporters against the new government and calling for early elections.
Dozens of angry Khan supporters gathered Friday outside the commission headquarters in the capital, Islamabad, chanting slogans against its decision. Security forces and paramilitary troops cordoned off the compound, blocking the crowd from getting inside.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, who is not related to the former premier, hailed the decision and said that Imran Khan would now be tried in a court of law. Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said the commission’s disqualification would last for five years and that the body had also recommended that Khan be tried on charges of concealing assets.
“You have never earned so much money in your whole life than you did by selling the gifts given to you” by heads of foreign countries, the interior minister said, addressing Khan.
Officials and legal experts said Friday’s decision meant Khan would automatically lose his seat in the National Assembly. Under Pakistani law, the commission has the authority to disqualify politicians from office but is separate from the judiciary.
Khan cannot appeal the commission’s decision except in court.
A senior leader in Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Fawad Chaudhry, condemned the decision and urged Khan’s supporters to rally in the streets. He said there was no ban on Khan from leading his party. Khan’s lawyers have denied the allegations against him, saying he “bought back” the gifts from the state and later sold some of them lawfully.
Another senior party leader, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said that their legal team would challenge the commission’s decision.
Earlier Friday, Balkh Ser Khosa, a prominent lawyer, said the disqualification happened because Khan unlawfully sold state gifts given to him by other countries when he was in power. Khosa also said Khan hid the profits he earned from those sales from tax authorities.
Elsewhere, hundreds of Khan supporters blocked a key road in the northwestern city of Peshawar, disrupting traffic. There were also small rallies in the port city of Karachi and in other places.
In Rawalpindi, Khan’s supporters briefly clashed with police but dispersed when security forces swung batons and fired tear gas, according to local media reports. The government deployed additional security forces in Islamabad to maintain law and order.
The developments came days before Khan was expected to announce another march on Islamabad to force the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to hold snap elections.
After his ouster, Khan led a march on Islamabad in May but called off the rally after violence erupted and his supporters clashed with police. He has since been promising to hold the final round of his political fight in Islamabad.
The commission’s decision followed a petition from Sharif’s coalition government, seeking action against Khan over allegations that he unlawfully sold state gifts he had received from heads of other states when he was in power. Such gifting is not uncommon in many countries but while in Pakistan, leaders are allowed to buy back the gifts, they are not usually sold. If they are sold, individuals have to declare that as income.
Khan has claimed that his government was toppled by Sharif under a U.S. plot — claims that both the premier and Washington have denied. Sharif’s government has also rejected Khan’s demand for early elections, saying the vote will be held as scheduled, next year.
Sharif tweeted later Friday that no one was above the law. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Twitter that Khan, “who would spread lies about alleged corruption of his political opponents has been caught red-handed.”
Khan, who came to power after the 2018 elections, initially enjoyed excellent ties with army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. The military has directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 75 years.
Later, Khan openly resisted the appointment by Bajwa of a new spy chief to replace Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, a Khan favorite. Bajwa eventually removed Hameed, which caused a rift between Khan and Bajwa that eventually led to the prime minister’s ouster.
