Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • ‘PTI’s social media managed from Germany, London,’ claims Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘PTI’s social media managed from Germany, London,’ claims Fawad Chaudhry

    Social media teams associated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have come under vehement criticism by former Minister and ex-member of the party, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain.

    Appearing on Samaa’s programme, Mere Sawal with Absar Alam, the former Information and Broadcasting Minister, stated that YouTubers like Adil Raja, a former army major who is now pro-PTI, have earned 50,000 pounds using Imran Khan’s name in their vlogs within just two months.

    “Adil Raja has nothing to do with PTI, and he is not even associated with PTI,” Fawad said.

    Criticising PTI’s social media cell, he declared that one person is operating 30 social media accounts from Germany and London. “Un ki wajah se hum is condition mein hain.”

    “Pseudo PTI’s social media cell is even playing in the hands of foreign intelligence agencies like India’s RAW and banned outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA),” Hussain alleged.

    He said that multiple pseudo-PTI YouTubers had harshly criticised journalists and Generals in Pakistan, which ultimately led them to turn against PTI.

    The leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf showed a clear divide following Hussain’s harsh comments on advocate Salman Akram Raja last week.

    “Salman Akram Raja has been Nawaz Sharif’s lawyer from Panama until now. Who are the rest of these people,” Chaudhry Fawad Hussain asked, “The establishment has put us in jails and imposed its representatives on the party. As long as Imran Khan is in jail, they have a political life; when Imran Khan comes out from behind bars, they won’t even be visible,” Ch Fawad Hussain said on X (formerly Twitter).

  • PCB complains to broadcasters of Ramiz Raja’s treatment of Shan Masood

    PCB complains to broadcasters of Ramiz Raja’s treatment of Shan Masood

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has written a letter to the broadcaster over Ramiz Raja’s sarcastic remarks about captain Shan Masood.

    Despite the victory, Ramiz Raja had engaged in non-serious conversation with Shan Masood, repeatedly mentioning his six failures as captain and suggesting that spinner Noman Ali might be anaemic.

    This behaviour drew severe criticism on social media. Cricketer Muhammad Amir also criticized Ramiz Raja, stating that instead of finding faults, credit should be given where it is due.

    What Ramiz Raja said to Shan Masood?

    Pakistan Cricket Board’s former chairman sarcastically remarked on Shan Masood’s six failures as captain after the post-match conversation after the series win against England.

    Thanks to their spinners’ excellent bowling, Pakistan defeated England by nine wickets in the third and decisive Test match, winning the series 2-1.

    This victory marked Pakistan’s first home Test series win in almost three and a half years, with their last home series win in January 2021 against South Africa.

    Despite this crucial win against England, former PCB chairman and commentator Ramiz Raja made some unserious comments to captain Shan Masood.

    During the post-match conversation, Ramiz Raja sarcastically remarked on Shan Masood’s six failures as captain. At one point, he even commented that it seemed like Nauman Ali was suffering from anaemia.

    Ramiz Raja faced criticism on social media for his behaviour, with users strongly disapproving of his attitude at such a moment. Many felt that publicly insulting the national team’s captain was inappropriate.

  • Gary Kirsten resigns as Pakistan white-ball head coach

    Gary Kirsten resigns as Pakistan white-ball head coach

    Head coach of Pakistan’s white-ball team, Gary Kirsten, has resigned from his position on Monday morning, sending shock waves across cricketing circles. According to sources, Kirsten decided to resign due to disagreements with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    Yesterday, reports emerged that there were severe disagreements between Kirsten and the PCB regarding team selection and matters related to support staff. Kirsten had threatened not to join the team for the Australia tour if his demands were not met.

    The disagreements stemmed from Kirsten’s insistence on having his way and not adhering to the contract. He was pressing for his preferences in the white-ball team and central contract categories and demanded the inclusion of his preferred foreign support staff.

    Kirsten conflict wiht PCB:

    According to Geo, relations between Gary Kirsten and the PCB have deteriorated due to Kirsten’s insistence on having things his way and not adhering to the contract. Kirsten was pushing his preferences in the white-ball team and central contract categories and was also demanding the inclusion of his preferred foreign support staff.

    According to the contract, Gary refused to stay in Pakistan and insisted on joining the team five to six days before a series or tour. The PCB reminded him that the contract allowed for one month of leave per year. Sources also mentioned that Kirsten was reminded of his commitment to be available for 11 months, but he failed to make himself available fully during or after the Champions Cup.

    Kirsten even threatened not to go to Australia until the contract for mental performance coach David Reid was clarified.

    PCB has taken a firm stance on enforcing the contract and Kirsten’s demands and wants full adherence to the agreement. The board has decided not to be swayed by Kirsten’s threats and maintained that any future decisions are for Kirsten to make.

    The Pakistan team will play three ODIs and three T20 Internationals in Australia, with the ODI series starting on November 4.

  • Daily round-up: Oct. 28, 2024

    Daily round-up: Oct. 28, 2024

    1. Teachers in Punjab have boycotted the Training Need Assessment (TNA) test — an examination which evaluates their training needs in the School Education Department (SED).

      The government created the TNA App to help in efficient online testing using multiple-choice questions to assess key teaching skills, and helping to identify areas for professional growth.

      With 720 centres set up for the test, and 60 teachers expected at each location, around 43,000 primary school teachers (PSTs) were supposed to take the test over the weekend but only 80 showed up.

      2. The Swat River has been diverted for the Mohmand Dam project, confirmed by Asim Rauf Khan, Project Director and General Manager of WAPDA, and Chief Engineer Fasih Ullah.

      About 35% of the dam is built, and 98% of the tunnel work is done. When finished, the dam is expected to generate 800 megawatts of electricity each year, with completion set for 2027.

      It will store 1.29 million acre-feet of water, manage floods, produce low-cost electricity, and deliver 300 million gallons of drinking water to Peshawar every day.

      3. With on-going tensions in the middle east and Iran being one of Israeli targets, Pakistan is now closely monitoring air traffic entering its airspace. Pakistani air traffic control is now reviewing all incoming flights from the west to ensure safety.


        And now that Iran has closed its airspace, flights passing through Iran are now redirected through Muscat which is affecting a number of international routes and has resulted in increased security checks for planes coming from the west.

        4. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially announced Mohammad Rizwan as the new captain for the ODI and T20 teams, with Salman Ali Agha as the vice-captain. This decision comes after former captain Babar Azam stepped down from his role earlier this month. Rizwan will lead the team in the upcoming limited-overs tours of Australia and Zimbabwe.

        Apart from this PCB has finalized the central contract list for the 2024-25 season, which will be effective from July 1, 2024.

        Notably, Fakhar Zaman has not been awarded a central contract this time around. His exclusion is speculated to be due to his dissent towards PCB regarding the dropping of Babar Azam from the squad and his failure in fitness tests.

        5. Manufacturers of essential foreign goods in Pakistan have not seen a major declines. In comparison, sales of foreign soft drinks, bottled water, and fast food have dropped amid consumer boycotts of Israeli products.

          Dawn highlighted that sales for Nestlé Pakistan were Rs 149.2 billion for the nine months ending September 30 —- a slight drop of 1.3% from Rs151 billion the previous year.

        1. Mohsin Naqvi reveals why Fakhar Zaman dropped from central contract

          Mohsin Naqvi reveals why Fakhar Zaman dropped from central contract

          Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has explained the reason behind sacking Fakhar Zaman from the central contract.

          Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, October 27, Naqvi said, “Any national team player cannot go around tweeting his opinion on decisions made by the selection committee.”

          Fakhar Zaman had tweeted in support of Babar Azam before the second Test match against England, after Babar was dropped from the side due to poor form. Fakhar wroite, “Dropping Babar would send a negative message to the Test team.” In his tweet, Fakhar also mentioned Virat Kohli, comparing the struggles of both players.

          Muhammad Rizwan appointed captain:

          Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made wicketkeeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan the captain of ODI and T20 teams.

          Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi announced the captain and vice-captain of the ODI and T20 teams while holding a press conference in Lahore.

          Mohsin Naqvi said, “The board has made Mohammad Rizwan the captain of the ODI and T20 team, while Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the vice-captain of the ODI and T20 team.”

          Chairman PCB said, “The selection committee worked very hard on the central contract, the selection committee worked non-stop in the last two tests, and the selection committee had a big hand in the victory. I will praise them.”

          Mohsin Naqvi said, “We want Babar Azam to return to form. Babar Azam is an asset of Pakistan. Babar contacted me and said that he doesn’t want to play as a captain. Babar Azam had a decision; he wanted to focus on the game.”

          Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the squad for the tours of Australia and Zimbabwe. The Pakistan team will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is) in Australia, while the tour of Zimbabwe will also feature three ODIs and three T20Is.

          According to a statement by the PCB, Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi will be rested for the tour of Zimbabwe, while PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi will announce the captain for the white-ball teams.

          Performers from domestic cricket have been given more importance for the Zimbabwe tour.

          For the Australia tour, the ODI squad includes Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Additionally, Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, and Mohammad Hasnain are part of the team. Haseebullah, Mohammad Irfan Khan, and Naseem Shah.

          The T20 squad includes Babar Azam, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, and Jehandad Khan. Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Umair bin Yousaf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Khan.

        2. Muhammad Rizwan appointed ODI, T20 captain

          Muhammad Rizwan appointed ODI, T20 captain

          Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made wicketkeeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan the captain of ODI and T20 teams.

          Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi announced the captain and vice-captain of the ODI and T20 team while holding a press conference in Lahore.

          Mohsin Naqvi said, “The board has made Mohammad Rizwan the captain of the ODI and T20 team, while Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the vice-captain of the ODI and T20 team.”

          Chairman PCB said, “The selection committee worked very hard on the central contract, the selection committee worked non-stop in the last two tests, the selection committee has a big hand in the victory. I will praise them.”

          Mohsin Naqvi said, “We want Babar Azam to return to form. Babar Azam is an asset of Pakistan. Babar contacted me and said that he doesn’t want to play as a captain. Babar Azam had a decision; he wanted to focus on the game.”

          On the question regarding Fakhar Zaman, Mohsin Naqvi said, “There is an issue of Fakhar Zaman’s tweet, but the problem is more about fitness. Fakhar Zaman’s show-cause is also a problem.”

          Earlier, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squad for the tours of Australia and Zimbabwe. The Pakistan team will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is) in Australia, while the tour of Zimbabwe will also feature three ODIs and three T20Is.

          According to a statement by the PCB, Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi will be rested for the tour of Zimbabwe, while PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi will announce the captain for the white-ball teams.

          Performers from domestic cricket have been given more importance for the Zimbabwe tour.

          For the Australia tour, the ODI squad includes Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Additionally, Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, and Mohammad Hasnain are part of the team. Haseebullah, Mohammad Irfan Khan, and Naseem Shah.

          The T20 squad includes Babar Azam, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, and Jehandad Khan. Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Umair bin Yousaf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Khan.

        3. Pakistan squad announced for Australia, Zimbabwe tour

          Pakistan squad announced for Australia, Zimbabwe tour

          The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the squad for the tours of Australia and Zimbabwe. The Pakistan team will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is) in Australia, while the tour of Zimbabwe will also feature three ODIs and three T20Is.

          According to a statement by the PCB, Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi will be rested for the tour of Zimbabwe, while PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi will announce the captain for the white-ball teams.

          Performers from domestic cricket have been given more importance for the Zimbabwe tour.

          For the Australia tour, the ODI squad includes Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Additionally, Aamir Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, and Mohammad Hasnain are part of the team. Haseebullah, Mohammad Irfan Khan, and Naseem Shah.

          The T20 squad includes Babar Azam, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, and Jehandad Khan. Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Umair bin Yousaf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Muqeem and Usman Khan.

        4. PCB excludes star players from 2024-25 central contracts

          PCB excludes star players from 2024-25 central contracts

          The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced a central contract for 25 national players, but many important players failed to get the contract.

          PCB has offered central contracts to 25 national players, including Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, in the A category, while Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have been placed in the B category.

          Apart from this, the players who have been offered a central contract include Haris Rauf, Salman Ali Agha and Shan Masood. Sajid Khan, who bowled brilliantly in the Test series against England, has also been offered a C category, while Noman Ali’s offer of central contract is subject to fitness.

          However, some important players have failed to get the national central contract this time.

          All-rounder Muhammad Nawaz, former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and all-rounder Imad Wasim did not get the central contracts. Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed and Ehsanullah have also been dropped from the central contracts.

          Apart from this, Tayyab Tahir, Shahnawaz Dhani, Mohammad Haris and Zaman Khan have also lost their contract. Arshad Iqbal, Hasan Ali, Osama Mir, Fakhar Zaman and Imamul Haq also could not get the contract.

          The fitness tests of Fakhar Zaman, Imamul Haq, and Usama Mir will be retaken in a few days. Three players are not in the central contract after failing the initial fitness test, the inclusion of the three players in the contract will be reviewed after the fitness test.

          Sources say that till now, there is no such player who has refused to take the central contract.

        5. Daily round-up: Oct. 27, 2024

          Daily round-up: Oct. 27, 2024

          1. In general, people believe that the more secluded and mildly populated a place is, the less polluted and corrupted it would be. But it seems like that is not always the case because surprisingly, all water samples collected from the beautiful region of Gilgit have been found to be 100 per cent contaminated, making the water unsuitable for drinking.

            Similarly, samples from the Sindh cities of Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad are also deemed completely unsafe for human consumption.

            Details presented by the Ministry of Water Resources in the National Assembly reveal that 94% of drinking water in Multan, 93% in Karachi, and 92% in Badin is contaminated.

            In Bahawalpur, 76% of the water is polluted, while Sargodha has 83% unsafe water, and Faisalabad and Sheikhupura report 59% and 60%, respectively, of their water being unfit for drinking.

            In Abbottabad and Khuzdar, 55% of the water is contaminated, with Loralai and Quetta showing 59%. Meanwhile, 80% of drinking water in Hyderabad, 67% in Sukkur, and 70% in Muzaffar is also unsafe.

            Following the 18th Amendment, the responsibility for ensuring safe drinking water and enhancing its quality now lies with the provincial governments.

            2. According to the World Justice Project’s (WJP) Rule of Law Index for 2024, Pakistan has ~ slightly ~ improved, climbing one spot to rank 129th out of (wait for it…) 142 countries evaluated.

              In the global category of order and security, Pakistan ranks 140th i.e. the third worst in the world.

              Regionally, Pakistan is fifth out of six South Asian countries evaluated and while an overall score indicates decline from 2019 to 2023, the 2024 report shows a change in this trend after five years of decline.

              3. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that Pakistan’s inflation rate, which has decreased from 29% to 12.6% this year, will further fall to 10.6% by 2025, according to Jihad Azour, the IMF’s Director for the Middle East and Central Asia.


                In a recent statement regarding Pakistan’s economic outlook, Azour noted that the country’s economy is anticipated to grow at a rate of 3.2% in the 2024-25 fiscal year, indicating a positive sign of economic recovery.

                4. New Zealand defeated India in the second Test to take a decisive lead of 2-0 in the three-match series.

                  In the match played in Pune, New Zealand defeated India by 113 runs.

                  Chasing New Zealand’s 359 runs on the third day of play, the Indian team was bowled out for 245 runs.

                  After 12 years, India has lost a Test series at home.

                  5. According to the recent data by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the local manufacturing sector maintained its upward trend in September 2024, with domestic companies producing or assembling 2.15 million units.


                    22.59 million locally manufactured or assembled mobile phones were sold in nine months which marks a 74% year-on-year increase.

                  1. PCB to announce separate captains for T20, ODI

                    PCB to announce separate captains for T20, ODI

                    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to appoint separate captains for T20 and ODI formats. All-rounder Salman Ali Agha is expected to be named the ODI captain.

                    According to ARY, a selection committee and management meeting chaired by the PCB Chairman was held, where wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan was decided to be given the T20 captaincy.

                    Sources have indicated that the squad for the series against Australia and Zimbabwe will be announced tomorrow, and discussions are ongoing regarding the inclusion of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah.

                    The meeting also covered central contracts and player selection for the Australia and Zimbabwe series, with suggestions given by the selection committee regarding the team and captain.

                    After the meeting chaired by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, he met with cricketer Salman Agha. Later, he also summoned Mohammad Rizwan for a meeting, which was attended by the coaches as well. The PCB Chairman will announce the decisions in a press conference tomorrow afternoon.