Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Wednesday confirmed that its national team will continue the ongoing Pakistan tour as scheduled, following reports that several players had expressed concerns over security. In a press release, the SLC said it had been informed by the team management that &ldquo;several members of the national team currently touring Pakistan have requested to return home, citing safety concerns.&rdquo; The statement added that SLC had &ldquo;immediately engaged with the players and assured them that all such concerns are being duly addressed in close coordination with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of the touring party.&rdquo; Reaffirming its commitment to the ongoing series, SLC stated that it had instructed &ldquo;all players, support staff, and team management to continue with the tour as scheduled.&rdquo; The board further clarified that &ldquo;if any player or member of the touring party decides to return to Sri Lanka despite the directive issued by SLC, replacements will be sent immediately to ensure that the tour continues without interruption.&rdquo; The Pakistan Cricket Board welcomed the announcement, with PCB Chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressing gratitude to the Sri Lankan side. &ldquo;We are grateful to the Sri Lankan team for their decision to continue the Pakistan tour. The spirit of sportsmanship and solidarity shines bright,&rdquo; he said. According to the PCB, the remaining ODI matches between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take place on November 14 and 16 in Rawalpindi. Pakistan&rsquo;s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also lauded the Sri Lankan team&rsquo;s commitment, saying, &ldquo;My heartfelt gratitude to the Sri Lankan Cricket Team for their visit to Pakistan and for always supporting the game of cricket. Keep up the sportsman spirit. We are honored by your presence.&rdquo; Echoing the sentiment, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif extended his appreciation, stating, &ldquo;Our special thanks to the Sri Lankan Cricket Team for their visit and for a good display of cricket. Our best wishes and gratitude.&rdquo; The tour continues amid assurances from Pakistani authorities that foolproof security measures remain in place for the visiting team.

Cricket

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistani ministers' express gratitude, reaffirming strong bilateral ties and commitment to sportsmanship and player safety.

Sri Lanka Cricket announces to continue Pakistan tour

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB) rejected claims made by former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, that a senior commander of ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) was killed in the Punjab region of Pakistan. The controversy began when Khalilzad shared a post on X (Twitter) from Al-Mirsad English. The post claimed that a commander named Burhan, also known as Zaid, had been gunned down by armed men in Akhtar Abad, Punjab. <div class="fr-embed"><div></div></div> It described Burhan as a key figure in ISIS-K and alleged he had been involved in operations across Afghanistan. Khalilzad, a prominent figure in US foreign policy, retweeted the post. He called the report &ldquo;good news&rdquo; and linked it to broader regional security concerns, suggesting it marked a blow to ISIS-K&rsquo;s operations. <div class="fr-embed"><div></div></div> However, Pakistan&rsquo;s MoIB in a post on X called the claim &ldquo;false and misleading.&rdquo; The ministry said the incident took place in Habibabad, not Akhtar Abad, as claimed. Habibabad is located in the Kasur district of Punjab. The killing occurred on March 5, 2025. <div class="fr-embed"><div></div></div> The MoIB clarified that the incident was not related to ISIS-K. It wrote that it was likely a result of a robbery or a personal dispute. Official records show Burhan had been living with his father-in-law in Habibabad and had no known ties to ISIS-K or any militant group. A police report, filed on March 6, 2025, confirmed the incident was a local crime. The Saddar Patoki police station registered a First Information Report, and investigations are ongoing. Authorities have found no evidence linking the killing to terrorism. &ldquo;There is no credible evidence to suggest Burhan was involved in ISIS-K,&rdquo; the MoIB statement said. &ldquo;This was a criminal act, not terrorism.&rdquo; The ministry also rejected the broader narrative. It dismissed suggestions that ISIS-K had a presence in Punjab. &ldquo;The claim that ISIS-K is active in Punjab is false,&rdquo; the statement said. &ldquo;Pakistan&rsquo;s security agencies have found no evidence of ISIS-K elements operating in the province.&rdquo; Khalilzad&rsquo;s post had raised concerns among some observers. They feared it could signal a shift in the security situation. The MoIB asked both local and international media to verify such claims through reliable sources before reporting. The ministry also&nbsp;cautioned against sharing unverified or sensationalized information.

Security

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting refutes the post by former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad; clarifies that the incident was not related to ISIS-K and was likely the result of a robbery or a personal dispute.

Pakistan denies report of ISIS-K commander killed in southern Punjab

V&Eacute;LIZY-VILLACOUBLAY: France&#39;s President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky Monday signed an accord for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 Rafale fighter jets and other hardware, a boost for Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion.&nbsp;The letter of intent inked by the two leaders sets out possible future contracts for Ukraine to acquire 100 Rafale fighter jets &quot;with their associated weapons&quot;, the French presidency said.&nbsp;It also lays out deals for the new generation SAMP-T air defense systems which are under development, radar systems and drones.&nbsp;The accord signed at France&#39;s Villacoublay air base is not a purchase and sales contract and is projected to be realized &quot;over a timeframe of about 10 years&quot;, the presidency added.&nbsp;Zelensky, who has suffered setbacks over the last week due to a corruption scandal at home and Russian forces closing in on the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, wrote on X ahead of meeting Macron that the accord would be a &quot;historic deal&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;A great day,&quot; Macron wrote in a brief post on X in French and Ukrainian over a picture of the deal being signed.&nbsp;The aim is to &quot;enable it (Kyiv) to acquire the systems it needs to respond to Russian aggression&quot;, added a French presidential official, asking not to be named.&nbsp;The Ukrainian president had already signed a letter of intent last month to acquire 100 to 150 Swedish Gripen fighter jets.&nbsp;France has delivered Mirage fighter jets to Kyiv, but until now there had been no talk of Ukraine acquiring the Rafale, the crown jewel of French combat aviation.

Europe

France and Ukraine signed a letter of intent for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 Rafale jets plus air-defense systems, radars, and drones over 10 years, strengthening Ukraine amid battlefield pressure and following its earlier Gripen plans

Macron, Zelensky sign accord for Ukraine to buy French fighter jets

BERLIN:&nbsp;Germany is set to remove restrictions it imposed in August on arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, the government announced Monday. &ldquo;The restrictions on arms exports to Israel ... will be lifted,&rdquo; government spokesman Sebastian Hille told reporters, adding that the decision &ldquo;will take effect on 24 November.&rdquo; Chancellor Friedrich Merz had justified the original August decision as a reaction to plans announced by the Israeli government at the time for an escalation in its Gaza City offensive. &ldquo;We have always stated that we would review this practice in light of developments on the ground,&rdquo; Hille said on Monday. &ldquo;Since 10 October, there has been a cease-fire in Gaza, which has also fundamentally stabilised,&rdquo; he added, noting that &ldquo;this forms the basis for this decision&rdquo; to lift the restrictions. &ldquo;We expect everyone to adhere to the agreements that have been made,&rdquo; Hille said, including &ldquo;maintaining the cease-fire, providing large-scale humanitarian aid.&rdquo;

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during an economic summit hosted by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung at the Adlon Hotel in Berlin on November 17, 2025. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)

Americas

Germany is set to remove restrictions it imposed in August on arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, the government announced Monday.

Germany to lift curbs on arms exports to Israel

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that the state must ensure every woman receives her share of inheritance, calling the right &ldquo;divinely bestowed.&rdquo; &quot;It is incumbent upon the State under the Constitution and the clear injunctions of Islam to ensure the effective and unfettered realization of women&#39;s right to inheritance,&quot; says a seven-page judgment authored by Justice Athar Minallah and concurred by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan. The verdict came as a result of the Supreme Court&rsquo;s dismissal of a petition submitted by Abrar Hussain, who had spent years attempting to prevent his sister, Mst. Bibi Shahida, from receiving her legal share of a Karachi property left behind by their late father, Irfan Hussain Khan, who died in 2002. Shahida originally filed a lawsuit in 2015, claiming that her brother had taken over their father&#39;s house, blocked her access to her inheritance, and rented out portions of it without paying her a share of the income. The bench upheld prior decisions of the trial court, appellate court, and the Sindh High Court, all of which ruled that Abrar Hussain unfairly deprived his siblings, particularly his sister, Bibi Shahida, of their legitimate inheritance for more than two decades. According to the SC ruling, Hussain &quot;took exclusive possession of the property; thereby depriving the other legal heirs of their lawful shares.&quot; &ldquo;The petitioner (Hussain) had no case on merits and yet persisted in litigation, thereby prolonging the deprivation of his siblings of their lawful inheritance, which devolved upon them on 1.1.2002, the date of their father&rsquo;s demise,&rdquo; Justice Minallah wrote. The basis of the petitioner&rsquo;s claimShahida&#39;s claim was supported by all of her siblings, with only Hussain contesting it, arguing that their father had &lsquo;gifted him&rsquo; the property before his death. Abrar used two documents to support this claim:&nbsp;An alleged &quot;iqrar nama&quot; from 2000 and a&nbsp;supposed &quot;possession certificate&quot; issued by a union council nazim. The Supreme Court declared the documents &ldquo;dubious and unreliable,&rdquo; saying Hussain&nbsp;failed to present credible witnesses or proof. The bench stated that the so-called iqrar nama lacked basic information such as witnesses&#39; addresses and CNIC numbers. &ldquo;The challenge before this Court was nothing more than an attempt to delay and frustrate the rights of the other legal heirs, amounting to a mere abuse of process,&rdquo; Justice Minallah noted. The final orderThe judgment reiterated that the state has a constitutional duty to ensure that &ldquo;every woman is informed of, and enabled to claim, her rightful share in inheritance without delay, fear or dependence on lengthy litigation.&rdquo; The bench called for the establishment of a proactive state-run mechanism to assist women in claiming their inheritance, adding that those who deprive women of their rights &ldquo;through coercion, deceit or undue influence&rdquo; must be held accountable. The judgment also referred to the Federal Shariat Court&#39;s landmark decision earlier this year, which determined that customs such as Chaddar, Parchi, or Haq Bakhshwai &mdash; often used to deprive women of inheritance &mdash; were &ldquo;un-Islamic&rdquo; and held no legal validity. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, refused leave to appeal, and ordered Abrar Hussain to deposit Rs500,000 within seven days, to be distributed among the rightful heirs.

File:Supreme Court of Pakistan.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Education

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that women’s inheritance is a 'divinely bestowed' right; dismissed a man’s petition blocking his sister’s share; fined him Rs500,000; urged the state to establish mechanisms to ensure women receive their inheritance.

Supreme Court: State must ensure women’s inheritance, a 'divinely bestowed' right 

NEW DELHI: India said Monday it had signed a &quot;significant&quot; deal that will see the United States supply nearly 10 percent of the Asian giant&#39;s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports as it seeks to diversify its energy sources. Relations between Washington and New Delhi plummeted in August after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on India to 50 percent, with US officials accusing the country of fueling Russia&#39;s war in Ukraine by buying its discounted oil. Trump has claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to cut its Russian oil imports as part of a prospective trade deal &mdash; something New Delhi has not confirmed. India and the United States remain in talks despite disagreements over a range of issues including agricultural trade and the Russian oil purchases. Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said India had signed the one-year deal for 2.2 million tonnes per annum of LPG, sourced from the US Gulf Coast, providing &quot;close to 10 percent&quot; of India&#39;s annual imports of the fuel. Puri said it was &quot;the first structured contract of US LPG for the Indian market.&quot; &quot;In our endeavour to provide secure, affordable supplies of LPG to the people of India, we have been diversifying our LPG sourcing,&quot; Puri said in a statement, adding that &quot;one of the largest and the world&#39;s fastest growing LPG market opens up to the United States.&quot; In October, Indian state-backed refiner HPCL-Mittal Energy said it halted purchases of Russian crude after Washington imposed sanctions on Moscow&#39;s two largest oil companies. Reliance Industries, the privately owned main Indian buyer of Russian crude, has also said it is assessing the implications of the US restrictions, as well as those imposed by the European Union. India&#39;s economy, the fifth-largest in the world, grew at its fastest pace in five quarters in the three months ending June 30, helped by higher government spending and improved consumer sentiment. But US tariffs continue to overshadow the economy, with experts projecting that they could shave anywhere between 60 to 80 basis points off GDP growth this fiscal year if there is no relaxation soon.

FILE PHOTO - US President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for the newly appointed Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in the Oval Office of the White on November 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

Asia

India said Monday it had signed a "significant" deal that will see the United States supply nearly 10 percent of the Asian giant's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports as it seeks to diversify its energy sources.

India strikes US gas deal under Trump pressure

ISLAMABAD: Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister/foreign minister of Pakistan, will share Pakistan&rsquo;s perspective on important regional and global issues at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Moscow. At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Russia, Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin, Dar will lead Pakistan&#39;s delegation to the SCO CHG meeting being held on 17-18 November, in Moscow, Russia, said a press release issued by Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Office of the Spokesperson) on Monday.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 946px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1990284237715730603&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=c6c830c5f4b9bd263ab7f8fd72bcc301b8411cdc&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1990284237715730603"></iframe></div></div>The CHG will be attended by the Heads of Government of Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the vice president of Iran, and the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India. In addition to SCO member States, the Heads of Government of Mongolia, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkmenistan and heads of international/regional organizations including Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Euro Asian Economic Union (EAEU), Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) will also be attending the meeting. Pakistan&rsquo;s perspective&nbsp;In his address to the SCO CHG, the deputy prime minister will share Pakistan&rsquo;s perspective on important regional and global issues as well as ways to strengthen the Organization for the benefit of the SCO region, the press release said. The CHG is the second-highest decision-making institution in the SCO. It provides guidance in the areas of economy, finance, trade, connectivity, commerce, socio-economic cooperation, including the budgetary matters of the organization. The SCO CHG adopts Joint Communiqu&eacute;, statements, and important decisions. The deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Pakistan will also hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of other SCO countries on the sidelines of the CHG.

Foreign Affairs

The deputy prime minister of Pakistan, Dar, will also hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of other SCO countries on the sidelines of the CHG; CHG is the second-highest decision-making institution in the SCO.

Dar to share Pakistan’s perspective on regional, global issues at SCO meeting 

ISLAMABAD: An Indian news channel, News9 Live, has apologized for wrongfully releasing a Muslim Kerala doctor&rsquo;s picture as a suspect in the November 10 Delhi blast. Although several news outlets carried the picture, only one channel aired an apology. The blast in the Indian capital killed at least eight people, and 19 others were injured when flames ripped through several vehicles, according to AFP. An Indian fact-checking website, Alt News, reported that various Indian media outlets misidentified the accused, Dr Mohammad Arif, and shared the image of his namesake, who had no connection with the incident. Dr Arif Mohammed, whose photograph was used by news channels, is a resident of Kerala. Journalist Mohammed Zubair, who is co-founder of the fact-checking website, in a social media post, stated: &ldquo;Several channels including Aaj Tak, Times Now, ABP &amp; Republic shared a photo they claimed was of the arrested suspect in the Delhi blasts.&rdquo; &ldquo;The picture, however, was actually of Dr. Mohammed Arif from Kerala, who is completely unrelated to the incident,&rdquo; he added.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 712px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1989762220847476914&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=241ff128e006ebdef2d0357f9be287583a102012&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1989762220847476914">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>News9 Live broadcast a &ldquo;corrigendum&rdquo;, a &ldquo;clarification on wrong image used for Dr Arif Mohammed&rdquo; on its YouTube channel. The statement published long with the YouTube video stated: &ldquo;We sincerely apologise for an inadvertent error in our earlier broadcast. The image used in connection with the terror-suspect Dr Arif Mohammed detained from Kanpur was incorrect.&rdquo; &ldquo;The photo shown was of Dr Arif Mohammed A &mdash; a respected cardiologist from Kerala &mdash; who has no connection whatsoever with the ongoing Delhi terror investigation. We regret the mistake and deeply apologise for any distress caused,&rdquo; it said.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WNcnUA6sRDo" title="CORRIGENDUM | Clarification on Wrong Image Used for Dr Arif Mohammed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div>A November 14, 2023, Instagram post on KMCT Group of Institutions, Kerala, carries a profile of Dr Mohammed Arif.<div class="fr-embed instagram-embed" style="width: 50%; display: block; max-width: 600px;"><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czp78PhpaER/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=675&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com&rp=%2Farticles%2Fnew#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A3281371.800000012%2C%22ls%22%3A5319.5%2C%22le%22%3A12647.100000023842%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="1179" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background: white; max-width: 540px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;"></iframe></div>

India

Indian channel News9 Live apologized after wrongly showing a Kerala Muslim cardiologist’s photo as the Delhi blast suspect; multiple outlets misidentified him, corrected by fact-checkers, and News9 issued a public corrigendum acknowledging the error.

Indian media apologizes for portraying Muslim doctor as suspect in Delhi blast 

BEIRUT:&nbsp;The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Israeli soldiers shot at its troops on Sunday in the south of the country, while Israel&#39;s military said it mistook blue helmets for &quot;suspects&quot; and fired warning shots. The Israeli military blamed &quot;poor weather conditions&quot; and said it had not deliberately targeted UN troops. Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement that Israeli forces &quot;fired on UNIFIL peacekeepers from a Merkava tank from near a position Israel has established in Lebanese territory,&quot; adding that heavy machine gun rounds hit about five meters from their personnel. The force said the peacekeepers were able to &quot;leave safely 30 minutes later&quot; after the tank withdrew inside the Israeli position. &lsquo;Poor weather conditions&rsquo;In a statement, the Israeli military said &quot;two suspects were identified&quot; in the El Hamames area of southern Lebanon. &quot;The troops subsequently fired warning shots, and the suspects distanced themselves. No injuries were reported,&quot; it said. &quot;After a review, it was determined that the suspects were UN soldiers who were conducting a patrol in the area and were classified as suspects due to poor weather conditions. &lsquo;Violation&rsquo; of UNSC resolution&nbsp;&quot;No deliberate fire was directed toward UNIFIL soldiers.&quot; UNIFIL has been working with the Lebanese army to consolidate a truce between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah reached last November. It said the incident &quot;represents a serious violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701&quot;, which ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and also formed the basis of last November&#39;s truce. That ceasefire sought to end more than a year of hostilities between the parties, which broke out after the start of the Gaza war. Under the deal, Israel was to withdraw its forces from south Lebanon, but it has kept them in five areas it deems strategic. &lsquo;Aggressive behavior&rsquo;It has also carried out regular strikes on targets in Lebanon, arguing it is hitting Hezbollah sites and operatives. The Israeli military said the incident was under examination and was being handled through official military liaison channels. Sunday&#39;s incident was not the first in which UNIFIL accused Israel of endangering its troops. &quot;Yet again, we call on the IDF to cease any aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers,&quot; the force said. &lsquo;Violating Lebanese sovereignty&rsquo;&nbsp;Lebanon&#39;s army, meanwhile, accused Israel of &quot;violating Lebanese sovereignty, causing instability and obstructing the full deployment of the army in the south&quot;. The army is meant to deploy to the area alongside UNIFIL as part of the ceasefire agreement. It said it was &quot;working, in coordination with friendly countries, to put an end to the continuous violations&quot;.

Middle East

UNIFIL says the incident "represents a serious violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701", which ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and also formed the basis of last November's truce.

UN peacekeepers say Israeli forces fired on them in southern Lebanon

KATUNAYAKE: Blind women from India and Pakistan brushed aside political tensions on Sunday, shaking hands in neutral Sri Lanka at a cricket tournament for the visually impaired. At what organizers describe as the world&rsquo;s first blind women&rsquo;s T20 tournament, players from the two South Asian neighbours showed they had sporting vision even if they lacked sight -- unlike their regular national teams.&nbsp; Tensions off and on the field have been high since a deadly military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. India&rsquo;s men refused to shake hands with their Pakistani opponents at the Asia Cup in September, since then neither side has shown signs of making up. That animosity spread to the women&#39;s sides who declined any greeting at the recent T20 World Cup and also to Sunday&#39;s men&#39;s Rising Stars Asia Cup tie in Doha. India&rsquo;s blind players were expected to mirror the conduct of their sighted teams when there was no handshake after the toss, but at the end of the match both sides warmly greeted each other. The two sides, who travelled to the venue together in the same bus, not only shook hands but also exchanged generous compliments. India won by eight wickets in just 10.2 overs after Pakistan were restricted to 135 for eight in their 20 overs at the Free Trade Zone grounds in Katunayake, 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Colombo. Pakistan skipper Nimra Rafique congratulated India on their comprehensive victory, while her Indian counterpart TC Deepika said Pakistan had played well. The teams applauded one another loudly but neither set of players was permitted to talk to the press. Biggest opportunityThere were hardly any spectators but the match was shown live on Sri Lanka&#39;s national television, Rupavahini. Blind Sri Lankan officials hosting the tournament &ldquo;watched&rdquo; the match on YouTube by listening to the commentary. Indian team manager Shika Shetty told AFP before the match that the tournament was opening up opportunities for more women. &ldquo;This is the first-ever World Cup for blind women... I think this is one of the biggest opportunities for our entire visually impaired girls,&rdquo; said Shetty, who is not blind. &ldquo;Maybe many girls with disabilities will come out from their villages. Maybe they will come for studies, maybe they will come for the sport. So it is helpful for other girls too.&quot; Blind cricket relies on a sharp ear, as players must detect a white plastic ball -- the size of a tennis ball -- filled with ball bearings that rattle as it moves. Pakistan coach Tahir Mehmood Butt, also speaking before the game, said the launch of women&#39;s blind cricket had created new opportunities for young players in Pakistan. &ldquo;For the totally blind, if they have good hearing, they can become good cricketers,&rdquo; Tahir told AFP. Each team must field at least four completely blind players, three who can see up to two metres, and four partially sighted players able to see up to about six metres. Totally blind batters may have a partially sighted runner. Bowling is underarm, unlike in the traditional game. Four other nations - Australia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the US -- are competing in the tournament which began in India and moved to Sri Lanka for the final stages. The final is scheduled for next Sunday in Colombo.

Pakistan's captain Nimra Rafique (3R) shakes hands with India's players

Blind women cricketers from India and Pakistan set aside political tensions at the world’s first blind women’s T20 tournament in Sri Lanka, promoting sportsmanship and opening new opportunities for visually impaired girls across South Asia.

Blind women cricketers from India, Pakistan show spirit with handshakes

ISLAMABAD: The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and ex-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death for crimes against humanity linked to the July Mass Uprising. A three-judge bench led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder issued the ruling. The panel said the evidence supported every charge brought against the two former officials. Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was also convicted. He received a five-year sentence after giving extensive testimony as a state witness. The tribunal began announcing the verdict at 12:50 pm local time. Justice Mozumder said the ruling ran 453 pages and was divided into six sections. He told the courtroom that only a summarized version would be read aloud and that the final section would be delivered by him. He estimated the process would take roughly 40 minutes. Security was tightened around the courthouse, with personnel from the Bangladesh Army, Border Guard Bangladesh, the Rapid Action Battalion and the police stationed at all entry points. According to BSS, this is the first case before the tribunal involving the state&rsquo;s actions during the July Mass Uprising to reach a final judgment. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/4e8bb2bb-b041-4372-a5c9-ca70ac6cf87c-Bangladesh.jpg" alt="Bangladesh.jpg" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic" style="line-height: 2;">DHAKA: Border Guard Bangladesh personnel stand guard outside the High Court in Dhaka on November 12, 2025. -- Photo by AFP/File</figcaption></figure> Hasina, 78, defied court orders that she return from India to attend her trial about whether she ordered a deadly crackdown against a student-led uprising that ousted her in August 2024, according to AFP. Up to 1,400 deaths &nbsp;The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina tried to cling to power, deaths that were central to her trial.&quot;Justice will be served according to the law,&quot; chief prosecutor Tajul Islam, earlier told reporters when the verdict date was set last week. Charges against Hasina&nbsp;Prosecutors have filed five charges, including failure to prevent murder, amounting to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.According to BSS, the five charges framed against the ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, are as follows: 1. Inciting the crimes through provocative speech: Following Sheikh Hasina&#39;s speech at a press briefing on July 14, 2024, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, and other senior officials of the then government abetted, assisted and were complicit in launching a severe and coordinated attack on unarmed student protesters. 2. Ordering the extermination of protesters using lethal weapons: Sheikh Hasina is accused of ordering the extermination of student demonstrators through the use of helicopters, drones, and lethal weapons. The then home minister and the then IGP facilitated and implemented this directive by issuing instructions to law enforcement personnel under their command. 3. Killing of BRUR student Abu Sayed: This charge concerns the July 16, 2024, killing of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayed, who was shot multiple times at close range in the chest. 4. Chankharpul killings: The shooting and killing of six unarmed protesters in Dhaka&#39;s Chankharpul area on August 5, 2024, has been brought as a separate count of crimes against humanity. 5. Ashulia mass killing: The prosecution also cited the shooting of six student protesters in Ashulia on August 5, 2024 - five of whom were later burned after death, while the sixth was allegedly set on fire while still alive. &#39;Preordained&#39;&nbsp;The trial has heard months of testimony in absentia alleging she ordered mass killings. She has called the trial a &quot;jurisprudential joke&quot;, according to AFP. Her co-accused include former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal -- also a fugitive -- and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who is in custody and has pleaded guilty. Hasina was assigned a state-appointed lawyer for the trial, but she refused to recognize the court&#39;s authority and said she rejected all charges. Hasina said in a written interview with AFP in October that a guilty verdict was &quot;preordained&quot; and that she would &quot;not be surprised when it comes&quot;. High alert&nbsp;Security forces surrounded the court when the verdict date was set on Thursday, with armored vehicles manning checkpoints. Dhaka Municipal Police spokesman Talebur Rahman said the force would be on high alert for Monday&#39;s verdict, with checkpoints at key intersections across the capital. Almost half the city&#39;s 34,000 police would be on duty, he said. Interim interior ministry chief Jahangir Alam Chowdhury told reporters the government was prepared and there was no cause for concern. Crude bombs have been set off across Dhaka this month, mainly petrol bombs hurled at everything from buildings linked to interim leader Muhammad Yunus&#39;s government to buses and Christian sites. Bangladesh&#39;s foreign ministry summoned India&#39;s envoy to Dhaka this month, demanding that New Delhi block the &quot;notorious fugitive&quot; Hasina from talking to journalists and &quot;granting her a platform to spew hatred&quot;. Ruthless bid to maintain power&nbsp;She said in October she &quot;mourned all the lives lost during the terrible days&quot; when students were gunned down in the streets. Her comments enraged many who said she had made a ruthless bid to maintain power at all costs. Hasina also warned that the ban on her former ruling party, the Awami League, by the interim government was deepening the political crisis in the country of 170 million people before the elections.

In this handout photograph taken and released on July 25, 2024 by Bangladesh Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the media at a vandalized metro station in Mirpur, after the anti-quota protests. -- Photo by AFP/File

Bangladesh

The tribunal pronounced the judgment in the crowded courtroom with extra security measures taken.