The caretaker government on Tuesday maintained the current prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) for the next fortnight.
According to a notification from the Ministry of Finance, available with Dawn.com, the prices of petrol and HSD will remain Rs283.38 and Rs303.18 per litre, respectively.
Meanwhile, the prices of kerosene oil and light-diesel oil were reduced by Rs3.82 and Rs3.4 per litre, respectively, to Rs211.03 and Rs189.46 per litre.
The move comes contrary to expectations of a reduction of Rs5-18 per litre for diesel and petrol. Official sources had told Dawn that the price of HSD was likely to decrease by about Rs5-6 per litre, falling to less than Rs300 per litre, unless the caretaker government further increased the petroleum levy. On the other hand, petrol was expected to be cheaper by about Rs18 per litre.
This was mainly due to the rupee’s gain of about Rs3 against the dollar over the last fortnight, while the average price of diesel has dropped by about $1.3 per barrel and that of petrol has increased by about $3.5 per barrel.
On October 16, the caretaker government had slashed the price of petrol by Rs40 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs15 per litre. This had marked the third price cut in a row.
The increasing stability of the rupee against the greenback was cited as the main reason behind this cut.
Most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered highly inflationary, as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube wells and threshers. It particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and PTI ally, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, has resurfaced over a month after his arrest from Rawalpindi, and said he was gone on a “pilgrimage”.
Rashid made these remarks in an interview with Samaa TV on Friday, marking his first appearance since his detention by plainclothes personnel at his residence on September 17.
Widespread violent protests broke out across the country on May 9, following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan. During the protest, military installations — including the Lahore corps commander’s residence — and state properties were damaged across Pakistan, eliciting strong condemnation from the military.
Since then, several PTI leaders have chosen to part ways with the party. Farrukh Habib and Usman Dar are among the most recent.
In line with other PTI leaders who have either departed from the party or resigned from their party roles, Rashid also voiced his disapproval of the events on May 9, deeming them “highly condemnable”. He also described the day as a “black day” for Imran.
During the interview, he said he was on a “40-day pilgrimage (chilla)” where he studied the Holy Quran in detail and introspected. “This was a tough period too, but no one harmed me and [rather they] cooperated with me,” he said without elaborating.
When questioned about his motivation for giving an interview, Rashid mentioned that he did so “because it has become customary”.
Commenting on the May 9 incident, he said the events of that day should be condemned during sermons every Friday. He underlined that he was abroad at that time and had condemned the incident a day later “but it went unnoticed”.
When asked as to why Imran desired to prevent Gen Asim Munir from becoming the army chief, Rashid did not elaborate, just saying that “we [PTI] shouldn’t have done that”.
“He [Gen Munir] was eligible and on the top too.” He described it as a “mistake”.
He emphasised that politicians should steer clear of such issues, stating, “This falls within the domain of the military, and it’s up to them to determine seniority. We should refrain from engaging in this debate.”
Rashid highlighted that decisions made by the “chief” cascaded to the bottom.
“I used to pray during Tahajjud prayer, beseeching God to grant me the strength to reach Asim Munir and ask him to forgive all those involved.”
“I firmly believe that a politician should refrain from naming any army officer,” he conveyed to the host.
In response to a question, Rashid suggested that the torching of the corps commander’s residence in Lahore might have been part of a larger plan. “But I have prayed to God that I will advocate for the release of all those who are detained and I will seek forgiveness on their behalf.”
He stressed his desire to seek forgiveness, particularly for the “common people.” Rashid urged the army to “forgive all those who were involved in the events”.
The AML chief said he had always advised Imran to be on good terms with the army.
Rashid recollected that he had requested permission from Imran to join the negotiation team but was denied. “I hail from Rawalpindi, and someone from that city naturally has connections with an agency.”
In response to a question about whether Imran’s government was indeed the target of a US conspiracy, Rashid replied, “I participated in a meeting convened to discuss this, and I was also present at a rally where this issue was raised. It’s quite a coincidence that all three individuals who were negotiating with the army on behalf of Imran have now established their own political parties.”
Rashid said Shahbaz Gill, Zulfi Bukhari, Shireen Mazari and Hammad Azhar were close [to the PTI chief]. “This country cannot function without its institutions, and in a conflict between politicians and institutions, it is always the latter that prevails.”
When asked if PTI was now his adversary, the AML chief responded negatively, stating, “I have only one seat, and what difference would it make if they were to take my seat?”
Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Multan Sultans on Tuesday appointed former Irish cricketer Catherine Dalton as their fast bowling coach, making her the league’s first-ever female coach.
As per the franchise’s announcement, Catherine Dalton is an England Cricket Board (ECB) certified Level 3 coach. She has previously served as a coach at the National Fast Bowling Academy in the UK, the Rajasthan Cricket Association, and the Ultimate Pace Foundation in India.
With her appointment, Dalton now holds the distinction of being the first woman to assume a coaching role within a prominent men’s team, the Multan Sultans said in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“Dalton is currently working with Multan Sultans’ youth academy in Lodhran.”
Reacting to the announcement, Dalton said “I am excited about this on multiple levels. The opportunity to work with such talented players is fantastic, I will be re-engaging with many I have worked with before.”
She remarked, “Being the first female fast bowling coach in men’s cricket is very humbling.”
Multan Sultans CEO Ali Khan Tareen lauded Catherine’s work with the Multan Sultans’ youth academies, noting that her contribution spoke for itself.
He further expressed, “We’re all looking forward to her bringing those skills to the main team.”
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa played through pain to return figures of 4-47 and help Australia down Sri Lanka by five wickets for their first win at the 2023 Cricket World Cup on Monday.
Five-time winners Australia bundled out Sri Lanka for 209, a total they overhauled in 35.2 overs at a windswept Ekana Stadium.
Zampa was named man of the match in Australia’s first win in three matches, but the 31-year-old said it had been tough coming into the match.
“To be honest, I wasn’t feeling great because I had a bit of a back spasm,” said Zampa.
“I was playing through it the last couple of days. Today I felt better, bowled better.” Former champions Sri Lanka slipped to a third loss in as many games.
The drama on the field may have been limited but that was not the case in the stands.
After rain interrupted Sri Lanka’s batting, strong winds brought scaffolding and hoardings crashing down onto the seats below.
With only around 3,000 people inside the 50,000-capacity ground, spectators managed to escape injury.
However, Australia’s reply was delayed when the umpires felt it unsafe to restart the match with high winds still a danger.
Once the game resumed, opener Mitchell Marsh smashed 52 and wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Inglis made 58.
Marsh led the chase after Australia lost two early wickets of David Warner, for 11, and Steve Smith, for a duck, to slip to 24-2.
Marsh reached his first fifty in a World Cup off 39 balls but was soon run out after attempting a second run with Marnus Labuschagne, who hit 40.
Labuschagne and Inglis put on a key stand of 77 to deny the thin crowd of any late drama.
Left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka broke the partnership to send back Labuschagne for his third wicket and spinner Dunith Wellalage got Inglis.
But Glenn Maxwell, who hit a 21-ball 31, took the team home with Marcus Stoinis, who made 20, for company.
Pat Cummins was under attack for his captaincy in the opening two losses.
“Outside noise doesn’t bother us too much,” said Cummins.
“All parts of the game came together at the end. We’re underway in the tournament and hope we keep it up.”
Madushanka had raised early hopes of a fightback for Sri Lanka after he trapped Warner and Smith — both lbw — in the same over.
The left-handed Warner reviewed his decision but the tracker showed the ball would have kissed leg stump and the batsman returned to the stands fuming.
Earlier Sri Lanka elected to bat first and started with a 125-run opening stand between Pathum Nissanka (61) and Kusal Perera (78) before the opposition bowlers hit back to end the innings in 43.3 overs.
Perera reached his fifty with a boundary off Stoinis amid applause from the dressing room and a few Sri Lankan fans.
Nissanka soon claimed his second successive half-century as Sri Lanka charged ahead.
Cummins dismissed Nissanka through a good outfield catch by Warner and then bowled Perera.
Zampa sent back skipper Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama on consecutive balls between overs to be on hat-trick avoided by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Rain interrupted play for about 25 minutes and the break only gave Australia more power to return with wickets as left-arm quick Mitchell Starc bowled De Silva.
Sri Lanka kept losing wickets and Zampa grabbed two more including Chamika Karunaratne, who was only called up to replace injured captain Dasun Shanaka at the weekend.
But Mendis remained confident of his batting line-up and said they “have six more matches to perform better”.
The caretaker government on Sunday slashed the price of petrol by Rs40 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs15 per litre for the next fortnight.
According to a notification from the Ministry of Finance, the new price of petrol is Rs283.38 and Rs303.18 for HSD.
It said the price revision was due to the variations in the international prices of petroleum products and the improvement in the exchange rate.
This is the second time in a row that the caretaker government is reducing petroleum prices after three fortnightly increases.
In the previous change, it had cut the price of petrol by Rs8 per litre and that of high-speed diesel by Rs11 per litre.
Between Aug 15 and Sept 15, petrol and high-speed diesel prices had risen by Rs58.43 and Rs55.83 per litre, respectively, to historic highs of Rs331-333 per litre at the retail stage.
Earlier this week, the prices of HSD and petrol were projected to fall below Rs300 per litre in the coming review due to a significant drop in global oil rates and the rupee’s appreciation.
The dollar lost another 93 paise on Thursday to close at Rs278.58 in the interbank market, which did not react to the disappointing figure of remittances.
However, there were also chances of the interim government deciding otherwise, particularly in the case of high-speed diesel, which presently carries the petroleum development levy of Rs50 per litre compared to Rs60 on petrol.
The government aims to charge about Rs869 billion in levy on petroleum products during the current fiscal year’s budget target and commitments made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Petrol and diesel prices have stayed above Rs300 per litre since September 1. Along with costly electricity, fuel has been the key driver of high consumer prices, pushing inflation to 31.4 per cent in September. Against this backdrop, the reduction could halt the rising inflationary trend.
Pakistan head coach Grant Bradburn insists his team’s top-order batting is not a worry but that confidence may not spare Fakhar Zaman, the only man to have scored an ODI double hundred for his country.
Pakistan’s openers have endured a miserable last five matches with just 35 as their highest partnership.
There has only been one century stand in the 16 games this year.
Left-hander Fakhar managed just 12 runs in a partnership of 15 with Imamul Haq in Pakistan’s 81-run win against the Netherlands in Hyderabad on Friday.
Fakhar, who famously smashed 210 not out against Zimbabwe in 2018, has a best of just 33 in his last 11 innings, a desperate run which followed three successive centuries against New Zealand earlier this year.
For Tuesday’s game with Sri Lanka, Fakhar is likely to make way for Abdullah Shafique who hit a half-century when the sides last met at the Asia Cup in September. Sri Lanka won that game by two wickets.
Bradburn still hopes the top-order clicks sooner rather than later.
“Look, we’ve got full faith in our top order,” said New Zealander Bradburn on Monday.
“They will click at some stage and we’re open and honest to say that we’re not getting what we would like out of the powerplay as yet.”
Number three and skipper Babar Azam, the world’s top-ranked ODI batsman, also failed against the Netherlands with an 18-ball five.
“The top three have scored the majority of our runs in the period before the World Cup,” said Bradburn who praised Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lanka are a team that we’ve become familiar with over recent times and we know they have had the upper hand on us over the last year in white-ball cricket,” said Bradburn.
“We respect the skills that Sri Lanka possess and we’re really looking forward to taking them on tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan batting coach Naveed Nawaz urged his bowlers to remain positive despite conceding a record World Cup total of 428 against South Africa in their first match.
“It’s going to be batting-friendly pitches mostly so we’ve got to look at the execution in the game against South Africa and how we could have done better,” said Nawaz.
“The guys who got runs, especially Kusal (Mendis), Charith (Asalanka), maybe Dasun (Shanaka), had they gone for a little bit longer, maybe another extra 30, 40 runs by each one of them, that could have got us close.” Mendis cracked eight sixes in his 76 while Asalanka scored 79 and skipper Shanaka 68 as Sri Lanka managed a fighting reply of 326.
“I think Pakistan is quite a strong opposition,” said Nawaz.
“We have been playing Pakistan recently, so both teams know quite well about each team’s strengths, weaknesses. “
A terrorist was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the Ramzak area of North Waziristan, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan quoted the military’s media affairs wing as saying on Sunday.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain terrorist.
“Known as Azeem Ullah alias ‘Ghazi’, the terrorist remained actively involved in various terror activities against security forces and killing of innocent civilians,” it said.
The ISPR added that sanitisation had been carried out to eliminate any other terrorist in the area. Locals of the area have appreciated the operation, it concluded.
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in KP, after the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.
Earlier this month, data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said the number of militant attacks in August was the highest tally for monthly strikes in almost nine years.
There were 99 attacks across the country, the highest number in a single month since November 2014, the report had said.
Australia edged out Pakistan by 14 runs in a high-scoring World Cup warm-up on Tuesday as India travelled 3,400km from one corner of the country to another only to be defeated by torrential rain.
In Hyderabad, Australia made 351-7 from their 50 overs with Glenn Maxwell particularly ruthless on Pakistan’s bowlers.
Maxwell cracked 77 off 71 balls with four boundaries and six sixes.
Cameron Green was undefeated on 50, David Warner clubbed three sixes in his 48 while Josh Inglis also made 48.
Marnus Labuschagne, a late call-up by the five-time World Cup winners, contributed 40.
Pakistan leg-spinner Usama Mir impressed with 2-31 as he dismissed Warner and Mitchell Marsh after the openers had put on 83 for the first wicket.
Mir’s leg-spinning partner Shadab Khan was expensive with his one wicket costing 69 runs.
In reply, Pakistan, who lost by five wickets to New Zealand in their opening warm-up, were dismissed for 337 in the 48th over.
Captain Babar Azam hit a fluent, unbeaten 90 off 59 balls with 11 boundaries and two sixes and shared a 144-run partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed who made 83 off 85 deliveries.
Mohammad Nawaz contributed 50 but Pakistan fell just short.
At Guwahati, Kusal Mendis scored a breathtaking 158 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 294 by Afghanistan before slipping to a six-wicket defeat in a rain-hit match.
Mendis, captain for the day with Dasun Shanaka sitting out the final warm-up, made his runs off only 87 balls.
He hit 19 fours and nine sixes as Afghanistan struggled to apply the brakes with only former skipper Mohammad Nabi enjoying sustained success with 4-44.
Afghanistan were sitting comfortably on 118-1 in the 21st over in reply when rain stopped play.
They were then set an adjusted target of 257 off 42 overs and cruised home with 23 balls to spare.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed 119 from 92 balls with eight fours and nine sixes, sharing a 212-run second-wicket partnership with Rahmat Shah.
Shah’s 93 was made off 82 balls and featured 10 fours and three sixes.
Meanwhile, India’s superstar cricketers endured a 3,400km cross-country journey to play a warm-up only for the match to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.
India were to face the Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram, on the southern tip of India, but they were left kicking their heels in the rain.
On Saturday, their scheduled game against defending champions England up in the north-eastern city of Guwahati was also washed out.
In total, the wet weather forced three warm-up matches to be abandoned while four others were rain-affected, leaving teams and players frustrated ahead of Thursday’s World Cup start.
However, the weather forecast for the rest of the week in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Dharamsala — venues for the first three days of the tournament — is optimistic with sunshine instead of showers.
England will play New Zealand in the tournament opener at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Pakistan clash with the Netherlands in Hyderabad on Friday, while Afghanistan and Bangladesh play in Dharamsala on Saturday.
Mountaineers Naila Kiani and Sirbaz Khan became the first Pakistani duo to summit the 8,201-metre-tall Cho Oyu — the world’s sixth-highest peak in China’s Tibet — on Monday.
The mountain is located on the Nepal-Tibet border 20 kilometres west of Mount Everest in the Mahalangur range. Cho Oyu means “Turquoise Goddess” in Tibetan.
The duo reached the summit earlier today at 12:30pm (Nepal Time) as part of the expedition led by Imagine Nepal. Khan made the climb without using any supplementary oxygen.
They successfully reached the summit just five days after crossing the Tibet border from Nepal.
Kiani became the first Pakistani woman climber to summit 10 peaks above 8,000m and the only Pakistani to ascend seven peaks above 8,000m in six months.
Meanwhile, Khan became the only Pakistani to summit 13 peaks above 8,000m with today’s success and the only one to conquer 10 mountains above 8,000m without the use of supplementary oxygen.
Last month, the two had also successfully completed the ascent of the world’s eighth-highest peak, 8,163m-tall Mt Manaslu, in Nepal. Subsequently, the duo had arrived in China with the aim of conquering both Cho Oyu and Shishapangma.
Kiani has already scaled Broad Peak (8,047m), Annapurna (8,091m), K2 (8,611m), Lhotse (8,516m), Gasherbrum I (8,068m), Gasherbrum II (8,035m), Nanga Parbat (8,125m) and Mount Everest (8,849m).
Saad Munawar, Khan’s expedition manager, told Dawn.com that Khan was on a mission to complete the challenging goal of conquering all 14 peaks above 8,000m.
“Hailing from the Hunza district of Gilgit-Baltistan, Sirbaz continues to make his homeland proud with his extraordinary mountaineering achievements,” he said.
Munawar also commended Kiani’s determination, emphasising that her ascent of the peak occurred under “extraordinarily challenging conditions” marked by poor visibility and adverse weather.
“The marathon climb, spanning over 28 hours, stands as a testament to her exceptional strength and mountaineering prowess,” he said.
Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haidri felicitated Kiani and Khan for their triumphant ascent of Cho Oyu.
“We hold our collective hopes and prayers for their safe return from this extraordinary adventure. Their dedication to mountaineering is truly commendable, and their achievements serve as a wellspring of inspiration for all,” he remarked while talking to Dawn.com.
Separately, young Pakistani climber Shehroze Kashif reached the base camp of Cho Oyu and will commence his endeavour to ascend the peak from Tuesday (tomorrow).
The summit will mark his 13th conquest of an 8,000m peak.
He also scaled Manaslu last month.
Bangladesh on Sunday blocked ailing key opposition leader and two-time former premier Khaleda Zia from travelling abroad for life-saving medical treatment, an official and supporters said.
Kayser Kamal, legal chief for Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), slammed the government’s decision to bar the wheelchair-bound 78-year-old from leaving — due to the terms of her effective house arrest — as an act of “political vengeance”.
Bangladesh is gearing up for general elections due before the end of January, and several Western governments and rights groups have expressed concern over the political climate in a country where the ruling party dominates the legislature and runs it virtually as a rubber stamp.
Zia and her bitter rival, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have dominated the politics of the South Asian nation of 170 million people for over four decades.
In 2008, Zia was sentenced to 17 years in prison for graft, and jailed for two years before being released under house arrest. She has rejected the charges as politically motivated.
Zia has been hospitalised since early August with advanced liver cirrhosis, breathing difficulties and diabetes, and she suffers from a heart condition, rheumatoid arthritis and knee problems, her doctor has said.
Her family last month wrote to the government pleading to let her fly abroad for treatment.
But Minister for Law Anisul Huq told reporters on Sunday they had rejected the plea, saying the executive order for her release from prison barred her from both taking part in politics and going abroad for medical care.
“The application can’t be reconsidered,” he said.
The existing executive order would have to be cancelled before the government could reconsider a new directive allowing her to go abroad, meaning Zia would have to return to prison first and then apply, Huq said.
Kamal, the BNP legal chief, condemned the decision.
“She was granted a conditional release under a provision, and the same provision can be used to allow her to get treatment abroad,” he said.
Tens of thousands of BNP supporters protested last week against the government’s actions towards Zia.
The BNP and its allies have staged a series of protests since last year demanding Hasina step down and allow a caretaker government to oversee the elections.
Yousuf Ali, a supporter of Zia and British-trained barrister who practices in Dhaka and London, said Huq’s order was issued “in support of the political vendetta” of Hasina against Zia, adding that legally she should be allowed to travel for medical care.
“I do not find any legal impediment to send Begum [Khaleda] Zia abroad for her much-needed life-saving treatment,” Ali told AFP.
