Blog

  • Nepal, Pakistan: anything better than cricket to bring people together?

    Nepal, Pakistan: anything better than cricket to bring people together?

    Pakistan v Nepal from Moorhead to Multan: A Journey of Friendship and Fervour

    Picture this: a chilly midnight in Moorhead, a tiny university town near Fargo. Amidst the freezing air, two cricket fanatics — me and my Pakistani roommate, Shehzad — walk to the end of 20th Street just off campus to a house full of friends from Nepal. Our connection with these guys? Cricket. We had known each other through an indoor tape ball cricket tournament we played together.

    It was the turn of the millennium; TV apps and online streaming weren’t a thing back then. These guys from Nepal were our cricket saviours, the only ones in the area with Direct TV and video on demand available to watch Pakistan vs India 2004 Test series. I remember the first Test was in Multan. Sehwag smashed a triple ton and Tendulkar 194 to stamp their authority on the game. India won the match by an innings and also the series 2-1.

    Even though we had great respect for each other, there were moments when we had tempers flared during this series as all of these guys were rooting for India. That’s the nature of this encounter, it’s an emotional rollercoaster. People from Pakistan and India living abroad will relate: no matter how close you are with each other, this game will always get your emotions out of control.

    Fast-forward to 2023. Two decades later, Asia Cup is being co-hosted in Pakistan. The venue for the first game was Multan where Nepal faced Pakistan head to head for the first time. I have been in touch with these guys on and off, mostly through Facebook. As the national anthem of Nepal was being played, I dropped a one-liner message about the clash to Pawan Adhikari, now living in Houston, Texas. His response, I can feel, triggered a cascade of emotions for him just like it did for me. Memories flood in of chai-fuelled nights, banter, and heated arguments at his apartment.

    This particular game in Multan seemed to create a nostalgia that’s etched in our memories. For me this wasn’t just a game where Pakistan was playing a minnow, it was a symphony of emotions that cricket had orchestrated two decades ago. This memory and this game flung the door open to tomorrow, to the possibility of sitting with old mates, Pawan, Neeraj, Prajowl, and Shehzad; watching Nepal and Pakistan take on the world in the West Indies and Americas next year.

    From that viral image of a packed cricket ground in Katmandu of their famous victory, Nepal’s cricketing journey is a tale of resilience, a narrative that echoed the nation’s spirit, much like conquering the Everest.

    In a world often divided, cricket emerges as the unifier, a magical thread that weaves tales transcending time zones and cultures. From Moorhead’s chilly cold streets to Multan’s scorching heat, this is more than just a cricket story; it’s a tale of friendships woven by cricket’s tapestry. It’s a reminder that amidst the chaos, there’s a language we all speak, a language that unites us, This is why we love this game.

  • PCB announces playing XI for biggest clash against India

    PCB announces playing XI for biggest clash against India

    PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has announced playing XI for the biggest clash of the Asia Cup 2023 against India. Here is the list of all players:

    Pakistan Playing XI

    Batsman: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (Captain), Muhammad Rizwan (WC), Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman.

    All Rounders: Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz

    Bowlers: Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah

    Weather Conditions

    There is a prediction of rain on the day of the match from early morning to mid-night. The Pitch of this ground is most favorable for Spinners if the climate is not overcast.

  • TW: Four rape cases registered in Lahore on August 28

    TW: Four rape cases registered in Lahore on August 28

    TRIGGER WARNING: DISCUSSION OF RAPE, SEXUAL ASSAULT.

    In a horrifying case, four women were reportedly raped on August 28 in Lahore, according to Dawn. While First Information Reports (FIR) have been lodged against the suspects, some media reports have stated that the suspects have gotteb pre-arrest bails, while others have not been caught as yet.

    Two of these cases involve the survivor being tricked on the promise of finding a job. A student of class 9, who lives in Old Anarkali, filed an FIR revealing she was gang-raped by two men in a hotel room. The survivor said she met suspect A on social media. He offered her a job abroad and claimed he knew friends who were working in big businesses in other countries. On Aug 28, the suspect offered the survivor to work part-time at a hotel for a couple of months, picking her up from Kalma Chowk, took her to a juice corner, after which she was taken to a hotel belonging to his friend in Gulberg to discuss the job offer. The survivor said she was taken to a room where the suspect and his friend gang-raped her, and made video clips to further blackmail her. The culprits threatened to upload the videos on social media if the survivor filed an FIR.

    Another girl, a resident of Faisal Town, said her friend got her in touch with a man who promised to get her a job. The man picked her up from a restaurant where she was waiting with a friend, along with another man. Both men took the survivor to a house where they gang-raped her, fleeing the scene later. So far, no arrests have been made.

    The third case was from a resident of Amir Town, who said his friend, the suspect, had offered his wife a job to work at a hostel with a handsome salary. On August 28, the FIR states, the wife was out shopping, when the suspect called and asked her to reach a location from where he could take her to the hostel for the job. When the woman reached the given location, the man took her to a house and raped her, and then fled the scene.

    The fourth case was from the Manawan area, where the suspect took a woman to a house to return her Rs 45,000, but instead when the survivor reached the house she was raped and later the suspect escaped.

  • ‘Never leaving home again’: social media is in tears after ANOTHER petrol price hike

    ‘Never leaving home again’: social media is in tears after ANOTHER petrol price hike

    Kuch rehnay nahi dena? Yesterday night, the caretaker government announced yet another price hike in petrol charges, taking it to a historic high of Rs 301 per litre.

    In a statement, the finance ministry said that the reason behind the hike included escalating prices in the international market as well as shifts in exchange rates.

    But social media users were in dismay that after exorbitant electricity bills, they will have to pay unheard of sums for fuel.

    Sab se pehle tou, get used to the social distancing times and start staying more at home, like this user put it.

    Waisay this would be a good excuse

    Go back to ye olde times and send letters to your beloved?

    *Dances to the bop while wailing*

  • President Alvi wants elections in November

    President Alvi wants elections in November

    President Arif Alvi will likely defy the opinion of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the law ministry as he is reportedly contemplating announcing the date for the next general elections, sources familiar with the development have said, reported Kamran Yousaf for The Express Tribune.

    It is expected that the president will write another letter to the ECP, suggesting a date in November for the elections. The sources said that President Alvi was in conversation with his legal team and was advised that an act of parliament could not override the provisions of the Constitution and that parliament might have amended the Election Act 2017 but the Constitution was clear that polls would have to take place within 90 days.

    “Based on that opinion, the president will communicate the election date to the Election Commission soon,” a source revealed.

    Previously, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja decided that he would not meet President Dr. Arif Alvi for a discussion on fixing the date for the general elections. After a recent amendment to existing laws, fixing the date for the election is at the discretion of the ECP.

    The CEC called a meeting of the commission last week to talk to its members about the matter of fixing the date before taking a formal position. It is not the ECP’s responsibility, according to the law, to consult with the president on this matter. “The law is very clear about it. The President has cited the wrong article for this purpose.”

    Alvi had invited Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, for a meeting on August 23 or 24, to fix an appropriate date for holding the general elections.

  • Bride and groom leave their wedding ceremony to meet Babar Azam

    Bride and groom leave their wedding ceremony to meet Babar Azam

    Every cricket fan worth their salt would go crazy at the opportunity to meet their favorite player, even if they are in the middle of their own wedding.

    A bride and groom reached the National Stadium in Multan to meet Pakistan’s ace batsman Babar Azam.

    A video of the two is going viral on social media in which the bride, wearing a lehnga, and the groom, wearing a Sherwani, reached the stadium along with their relatives.

    The couple stood outside the stadium to meet Babar Azam but unfortunately their wish did not come true.
    We hope Babar takes time out to visit them soon.

  • Mansha Pasha, Saboor Aly, Komal Aziz condemn attack on makeup artist Bryan

    Mansha Pasha, Saboor Aly, Komal Aziz condemn attack on makeup artist Bryan

    Prominent models like Mushk Kaleem, Javeriya Hanif have called out Robina Khan for the assault by her husband on Nabila Salon makeup artist Bryan William, after he refused to carry her personal belongings while she was busy with the shoot. The makeup artist released a statement on his official Instagram account, saying he had been dragged from the second floor to the ground floor by four to five armed gunmen, and was beaten by the model’s husband without even having a conversation about what had happened.

    Nabila Salon also condemned the incident on their official account, stating that they would only work with professionals who value the safety and importance of their makeup artists.

    Now, other actresses have also stepped forward to condemn the attack and defend Bryan William for simply doing his job. Actress Mansha Pasha took to Instagram to share that she had worked with the makeup artist on many occasions, and was shocked by the display of “blatant gundaghardi”.

    “It horrifies me to think that someone would think themselves so superior that they would resort to violence. No matter what the disagreement: that is just blatant ghundaghardi and there is no place for it in our work.”

    The ‘Idiot’ actress then went on to share the statement Robina Khan gave in defence of her attack, and slammed her excuse:

    “You just proved him right by your actions. Mother wife whatever is not excuse for any of this.”

    Actress Saboor Aly also came to the defence of Bryan William by resharing his statement on her social media account, sharing her grief over the brutal violence inflicted on the makeup artist:

    “There’s no justification for physical or verbal abuse. I’m so sorry you went through this. Just know you’re Amazing, my favorite and I love you so much.”

    Actress Komal Shah shared a picture of Robina’s husband, Mujtaba Shah, who had beaten the makeup artist.  “Another day in Pakistan where ‘rich men’ with daddy’s money think they can do whatever the hell they want,” she wrote.

  • Election Commission adamant about ensuring timely elections

    Election Commission adamant about ensuring timely elections

    After completing consultations with political parties, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday announced that the delimitation process will be finalised by November 30. 

    A statement issued by the electoral body said the purpose of reducing the duration of the delimitation process is to ensure elections are held as early as possible.

    The ECP also said that a date for the elections will also be announced keeping in view the schedule for the delimitation process, adding that the date was announced after deliberation with the parties. 

    A day earlier, the Election Commission said that polls would be held by mid-February at the most or by January end if the delimitation of constituencies is completed earlier. 

    The Election Commission has held consultations with political parties including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Muttahida Qoumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Jamiat Ulema Islam-Faiz (JUI-F) and others regarding the road map to general elections. 

    On August 17, the ECP announced the schedule of new delimitations to be carried out as per the new census approved by the Council of Common Interest (CCI) last month. 

    According to the schedule, the new delimitation of the constituencies was expected to be completed in December. However, the date has now been shortened to November. 

    Earlier, the ECP schedule had shown that the fresh delimitation would take nearly four months. 

    Last month, the CCI meeting chaired by then-prime minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the final results of the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023 reporting the country’s population at 241.49 million with a growth rate of 2.55%.

    The CCI approval made it constitutionally mandatory for the ECP to hold elections following fresh delimitations in the light of the results of the 7th census.

    According to Article 51 (5) of the Constitution, the seats of the National Assembly to each province and the federal capital shall be allocated on the basis of population in accordance with the last preceding census officially published.

  • Parvez Elahi arrested again hours after being set free

    Parvez Elahi arrested again hours after being set free

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf President and former Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has been arrested again after his brief release today.

    Islamabad Police arrested Chaudhry Parvez Elahi from Canal Road in Lahore, leaving with him for the federal capital. Earlier today, the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to release Parvez Elahi, after the accountability watchdog’s decision to arrest the former chief minister of Punjab was challenged in court through a petition.

    After Elahi was brought before the court, LHC Justice Amjad Rafiq announced the decision, telling NAB at the hearing today that if Elahi is not produced today, the court will issue a warrant against the director-general of the accountability body.

    On the NAB prosecutor’s reply, Justice Amjad Rafiq said that there will be a complete inquiry, ordering Parvez Elahi’s immediate release.

    It should be noted that when Parvez Elahi first filed an application in the Lahore High Court, the court granted him bail in all cases. But against the decision of the single bench of the court, the Punjab government filed an appeal before a two-member bench, which suspended the decision of the single-member bench.